Thermal, Electrical Transport, and Structural Characterization of (AgI)x(AgPO3)1-xGlasses

AgPO3bulk glass is characterized by a polymeric chain structure composed of PO4tetrahedral units. Each P atom has 4 nearest neighbor oxygen atoms, two of which are bridging and the other two terminals (Q²species in NMR notation). Upon alloying AgI, the Q²chain-network steadily transforms into rings of small and large size lowering the connectedness of the alloyed backbone. Both modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) and Raman scattering provide support for that structural description. MDSC experiments also reveal the existence of a reversibility window in the 10% < x < 37% range. The window fixes the three elastic phases in these glasses; stressed-rigid at x < 10%, intermediate in the 10% < x < 37%, and floppy at x > 37%. The discovery of these generic elastic phases has opened new vistas in understanding functionality of glasses. Here we show for the first time that the reported electrical conductivity of these glasses is correlated to these elastic phases.