Diffusion within α-CuI studied using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations.

The structure and dynamics of superionic α-CuI are studied in detail by means of ab initio Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations. The extreme cation disorder and a soft immobile face centred cubic sublattice are evident from the highly diffuse atomic density profiles. The Cu-Cu pair distribution function and distribution of Cu-I-Cu bond angles possess distinct peaks at 2.6 Å and 60° respectively, which are markedly lower than the values expected from the average cationic density, pointing to the presence of pronounced short-range copper-copper correlations. Comparison with lattice static calculations shows that these correlations and the marked shift in the cationic density profile in the ⟨111⟩ directions are associated with a locally distorted cation sublattice, and that the movements within the tetrahedral cavities involve rapid jumps into and out of shallow basins on the system potential energy surface. On average, the iodines are surrounded by three coppers within their first coordination shell, with the fourth copper being located in a transition zone between two neighbouring iodine cavities. However, time-resolved analysis reveals that the local structure actually involves a mixture of threefold-, fourfold- and fivefold-coordinated iodines. Examination of the ionic trajectories shows that the copper ions jump rapidly to nearest neighbouring tetrahedral cavities (aligned in the ⟨100⟩ directions) following a markedly curved trajectory and often involving short-lived (∼1 ps) interstitial positions. The nature of the correlated diffusion underlying the unusually high fraction of coppers with short residence time can be attributed to the presence of a large number of 'unsuccessful' jumps and the likelihood of cooperative motion of pairs of coppers. The calculated diffusion coefficient at 750 K, D(Cu) = 2.8 × 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1), is in excellent agreement with that found experimentally.