Ionic conduction mechanism and relaxation studies of NaNbAlP3O12 compound

The Na superionic conductor (NASICON) NaNbAlP₃O₁₂ compound was prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The formation of single-phase material was confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies, and it was found to be a hexagonal phase at room temperature. The electrical conductivity was measured in the frequency range from 200 Hz to 5 MHz and temperatures between 573 and 773 K using impedance spectroscopy technique. The obtained results were analyzed by fitting the experimental data to the equivalent circuit model. The analysis of Nyquist plots has revealed the contribution of three electrically active regions corresponding to the bulk mechanism, distribution of grain boundaries, and electrode processes. Besides, the frequency dependence of the conductivity is interpreted in terms of Jonscher’s law. Temperature dependence of the power law exponent s strongly suggests that the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) model is the dominant transport process. The variation of the imaginary part of the complex modulus as a function of angular frequency at several temperatures shows a double relaxation peak suggesting the presence of grains and grain boundaries in the sample. An analysis of the dielectric constants ε″ and loss tangent tan (δ) with frequency shows a distribution of relaxation times.