Relaxation dynamics of Ag⁺ ions in superionic glass nanocomposites embedded with ZnO nanoparticle

Abstract

We have reported the relaxation dynamics of Ag⁺ ions in the frequency range 10 Hz-2 MHz in the ZnO nanoparticle embedded iodomolybdate superionic glass nanocomposites in the temperature range 100-303 K. We have shown that the doping of ZnO to iodomolybdate glass composites causes changes to the structure and electrical relaxation of the host glass matrix. The hopping frequency and its activation energy for the glass nanocomposites are lower than those of the host glass matrix. We have observed that the hopping frequency shows a minimum. The dispersed α-AgI nanocrystals and ZnO nanoparticles are responsible for the variation of the hopping frequency with ZnO content. The power law exponent is almost independent of the doping of ZnO content. The concentration of mobile Ag⁺ ion is independent of temperature and ZnO content in the glass nanocomposites. It is also observed that the concentration of mobile Ag⁺ ion is less than those of the Ag+ ions bonded to AgI and Ag₂O, respectively: Only 14-18 % of the total Ag⁺ ions contribute to the dynamic processes. The scaling of the conductivity spectra reveals that the relaxation dynamics of Ag⁺ ions is independent of temperature but depends on composition.