Electrical conduction in ammonium perchlorate

Abstract

D.c. along with a few a.c. electrical measurements are reported for ammonium perchlorate (AP) in compressed disc and single crystal form. The near-identity of the electrical conductivity of AP to that of certain other alkali perchlorates (also measured) makes conduction by protons according to schemes previously suggested unlikely though not impossible. The non-ohmic behaviour of ammonium perchlorate single crystals shows that the “classical” theory of ionic conduction based on the migration and creation of point defects is not adequate to describe fully the conduction process. The possibility of various electronic mechanisms, including Schottky emission of electrons from the metallic electrodes with associated carrier injection into the crystal is discussed. As none of these mechanisms is entirely satisfactory, the electrical conductivity of AP is thus considered to be complex and, in particular, to be controlled by a number of processes operative under different conditions of temperature, applied field and gas pressure.