The electrical conductivity of ammonium perchlorate single crystals

Abstract

The electrical conductivity of single crystals of ammonium perchlorate has been studied from 25 to 180°C. Plots of log σT vs 1 T show two linear regions, one from 25 to 100 and another from 100 to 180°C. Activation energies for the conduction processes in the low- and high-temperature regions are 0.12 and 1.04 eV, respectively. The conduction is a bulk process and not a surface mechanism. Conduction in the low-temperature region is predominantly due to the migration of protons and is sensitive to the concentration of interstitial H 2O molecules which act as proton donor and acceptor sites. In the high-temperature region, conduction is due to migration of NH 4 + through cation vacancies. Detailed mechanisms are postulated both for electrical conduction and for the electrode reactions.