Solid State Ionics, Vol.126, No.1-2, 81-87, 1999
alpha-NaFeO2: ionic conductivity and sodium extraction
Complex admittance measurements have been performed on alpha-NaFeO2 and on the product Na0.9FeO2 obtained by sodium extraction, both being polycrystalline powders. The electrical conductivity in both samples is proposed to be due to sodium ions hopping between octahedral positions through the adjacent, empty, tetrahedral ones characteristic of a rock-salt structural framework. The parent material shows an activation energy in the dc conductivity of 0.31 eV between 306 and 498 K. Removal of sodium, in spite of creating octahedral vacancies, results in lower conductivity values, and a higher activation energy of 0.58 eV in a similar temperature range.