Silver and lithium glasses based on V₂O₅, P₂O₅ or B₂O₃ exhibit high ionic conductivity due to transport of Ag⁺ or Li⁺ ions. In addition, glasses with high content of V₂O₅ exhibit considerable electronic conduction. Ionically conducting glasses can be used as solid electrolytes and mixed electronic-ionic ones as cathode materials in advanced electrochemical cells. The conductivity of these glasses can be enhanced by nanocrystallization i.e. formation of small crystalline grains within host glass matrix.
Main goal of this work is synthesis and characterisation of glassy-crystalline nanomaterials obtained in Li₂O-V₂O₅-P₂O₅ system, with improved electrical conductivity compared to that of the as-received glasses. Nanocrystallization of the glasses under study, was induced by their annealing at temperatures close to crystallization temperature.
For characterisation of these materials we used XRD, DSC and impedance spectroscopy methods. In the case of glasses of composition 15Li₂O.70V₂O₅.15P₂O₅ one can observe a clear correlation between characteristic temperatures on the DSC traces and temperature dependence of conductivity. Annealing of these glasses at crystallization temperature Tc leads to formation of nanocrystallites of V₂O₅ of average sizes ca 30 nm. The resulting nanomaterial exhibits higher electrical conductivity, lower activation energy and better thermal stability than the initial glass. This improvement of electrical properties has been interpreted as a result of formation of interface regions between V₂O₅ nanocrystallites and the glass matrix. Further annealing of this material at higher temperature leads to an increase of size of crystallites (to ca 1 μm) and formation of polycrystalline material, which has lower electrical conductivity. The obtained results enable us to state that by nanocrystallization one can improve electrical properties of glassy materials, which might be important for practical applications.

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/1227 must be provided.