Effect of ThO2 on ionic transport behavior of barium borosilicate glasses

The present manuscript describes preparation, characterization and study of electrical behavior of barium borosilicate glasses with varying concentrations of ThO2, maintaining constant molar ratios of SiO2:B2O3:Na2O:BaO for all samples. The effect of ThO2 incorporation on the ionic conductivity of glasses was studied by ac impedance analyzer, below the glass transition temperature. The diffusion coefficient (D) of the mobile Na+ is determined from the values of electrical conductivity and density. The activation energy for sodium ion transport has been calculated from the values of diffusion coefficients at different temperatures. The electrical properties of the modified glass have been explained on the basis of the structural as well as electrostatic factors.