Calculation of Activation Energy of Ionic Conductivity in Silica Glasses by Classical Methods

TLDR

The study develops an equation for the activation energy of ionic conduction in silica glasses. The authors derive the equation using classical ionic crystal and elasticity theory, expressing activation energy in terms of modifier ion radius, valence, glass lattice constant, electronic charge, shear modulus, and three parameters—two linked to silica network geometry from gas diffusion data and one approximating the dielectric constant. The derived theory is validated against experimental data from 140 glass compositions.

Abstract

An equation for the activation energy of ionic conduction in silica glasses is developed. The approach uses the classical ideas of ionic crystal theory and elasticity theory. The equation finally derived involves the radius and valence of the modifier ion, the lattice constant of the glass, the electronic charge, the shear modulus, and three arbitrary parameters. Two of these parameters are shown to be related to the geometry of the silica network and are exactly determined from diffusion of gases in glass data. The other parameter is shown to be approximately numerically equal to the dielectric constant. he theory is compared with the experimental results of 140 glass compositions.