Medium range structure and activation energy of ion transport in glasses

Most existing models of ionic conduction in glasses relate the ion transport to some specific structural features. However, there is a lack of investigation concerning the role of the medium range structure on the ionic conduction. In the present paper, with the objective to fill this gap and gain further insights about the microscopic mechanism of ion transport in glasses, the relationship between activation energy of ion transport and the wave number of First Sharp Diffraction Peak (FSDP) has been studied. It is found that the activation energy decreases with the decrease of FSDP wave number. The relationship has been interpreted by using the bond fluctuation model of superionic conductors.