Proton Conductivity and Thermal Properties of Ba(H2PO4)2

Abstract

We have grown single crystals of barium dihydrogen phosphate and studied its thermal transformations during heating to 500°C and its electrotransport properties. Ba(H2PO4)2 (Pccn) has been shown to undergo no phase transitions up to its dehydration temperature. The thermal decomposition of Ba(H2PO4)2, accompanied by dehydration, involves two steps, with maximum rates at ~265 and 370°C, and results in the formation of barium dihydrogen pyrophosphate and barium metaphosphate, respectively. The total enthalpy of the endothermic dehydration events is–244.6 J/g. Using impedance spectroscopy, we have studied in detail the proton conductivity of polycrystalline and single-crystal Ba(H2PO4)2 samples in a controlled atmosphere. Adsorbed water has been shown to have a significant effect on the proton conductivity of Ba(H2PO4)2 up to 130°C. The proton conductivity of the Ba(H2PO4)2 single crystals has been shown to be anisotropic. The conductivity anisotropy correlates with specific structural features of the salt. Higher conductivity values, 3 × 10–9 to 2 × 10–7 S/cm in the range 60–160°C, have been observed in the [100] crystallographic direction, exceeding the conductivity along [010] by an order of magnitude. The activation energy for proton conduction is 0.80 eV.