Ionic conductivity in montmorillonite-doped silver iodide

The ionic conductivity of AgI–montmorillonite composites was studied at a temperature ranging from 35 to 520 °C. Composites with montmorillonite as small as 0.89 w/o exhibited a maximum of about eight times the conductivity of the pure β-AgI at low temperatures. These results, which can be ascribed to the large surface area of the clay, may be qualitatively explained on the basis of a stabilisation of the low-temperature, higher-conducting metastable γ-phase of AgI.