Determining ionic conductivity from structural models of fast ionic conductors

Reverse Monte Carlo produced structural models of silver ion conducting glasses and crystals have been investigated by the bond-valence technique. Both absolute ionic conductivity and activation energy can be determined directly from the "pathway volume" of the structural models, i.e., from the volume fraction of the percolating pathway cluster. This pathway volume-conductivity relation was found to hold for glassy and crystalline systems with silver ion conductivities differing by more than 11 orders of magnitude. Earlier, less universal rules were rationalized and unified by means of this approach.