Li⁺ ion conductivities in boro-tellurite glasses

Abstract

Lithium ion conductivity has been investigated in a boro-tellurite glass system, LiCl·LiBO₂·TeO₂·. In the absence of LiCl, the conductivity increases with increasing non-bridging oxygen (NBO) concentration. LiCl addition has little influence on total conductivity although the observed barriers are low. Formation of LiCl clusters appears evident. In the a.c. conductivity and dielectric studies, it is observed that the conductivity mechanism remains the same in all compositions and at all temperatures. A suggestion is made that Li⁺ ion transport may be driven by bridging oxygen ↔ non-bridging oxygen (BO ↔ NBO) switching, which is why the two different types of Li⁺ ions in the clusters and in the neighbourhood of NBOs, do not manifest in the conductivity studies.