Fast interfacial ionic conduction in nanostructured glass ceramics

The hopping movements of mobile ions in a nanostructured LiAlSiO4 glass ceramic are characterized by time-domain electrostatic force spectroscopy (TDEFS). While the macroscopic conductivity spectra are governed by a single activation energy, the nanoscopic TDEFS measurements reveal three different dynamic processes with distinct activation energies. Apart from the ion transport processes in the glassy and crystalline phases, we identify a third process with a very low activation energy, which is assigned to ionic movements at the interfaces between the crystallites and glassy phase. Such interfacial processes are believed to play a key role for obtaining high ionic conductivities in nanostructured solid electrolytes.