A new fluoride ion-conducting composite was synthesized by using an arc-melting technique and was characterized by means of X-ray and complex impedance methods. A conductivity enhancement of about 3 orders of magnitude resulted from dispersing LiF in a CaF2 matrix. The observed conductivity enhancement was explained in terms of the space charge model for ionic conduction. Jonscher’s universal power-law relationship was used to interpret the observed frequency dispersion of the conductivity. Parameters such as the power-law exponent, relaxation time and relaxation activation energy were calculated.

B.G.Ravi, N.Baskaran, S.Ramsamy, M.Sekar, K.G.Rajan: Materials Science and Engineering B, 1996, 41[2], 241-6