On the mechanism of conductivity of ammonium salts

The conductivities of HSO₄^?-doped (NH₄)₂SO₄ (AS) and NH₄H₂PO₄ (ADP) crystals are investigated in the temperature range 25°?180°C. The mobility of the charge carriers (protons) is thermally activated and is expressed in accordance with the relation μ = 0.16 exp(?0.49) eV/kT and μ = 0.80 exp(?0.54 eV/kT)cm² V^?1 sec^?1 for AS and ADP crystals, respectively. Three-stage mechanism of proton transport in the lattice of ammonium salt is suggested: (1) formation of the charge carrier NH₄⁺ + X^? → NH₃ + HX, (2) reorientation of the protonated anion HX → XH, and (3) proton jump to the neighbor anion XH + X^? → X^? + HX. The activation energy for mobility is close to that for dielectric relaxation process, i.e., the only thermally activated stage in the mobility process is reorientation of the protonated anion. This very stage is also the rate-determining in the mobility as it is seen from the comparison of the correlation time for proton diffusion and the dielectric relaxation time. These experimental results are in good agreement with the known proton dynamic data in KDP-type ferroelectric crystals.