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An E.S.R. Study of AgCl-NaCl Binary Mixtures

E.s.r. spectroscopy was used to study the microscopic structure and electronic properties of AgCl-NaCl solid solutions. After γ- or u.v. irradiation at or below 77 K, Ag2+ was observed as the hole-trapped centre, and depending on concentration, either localized or extended electron states were obser...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and physical sciences Mathematical and physical sciences, 1984-03, Vol.392 (1802), p.227-245
Main Authors: Olm, Myra T., Symons, M. C. R., Eachus, R. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:E.s.r. spectroscopy was used to study the microscopic structure and electronic properties of AgCl-NaCl solid solutions. After γ- or u.v. irradiation at or below 77 K, Ag2+ was observed as the hole-trapped centre, and depending on concentration, either localized or extended electron states were observed. At silver concentrations under 10%, the localized electron states were Ag atoms and at higher concentrations, they were conduction electrons confined to AgCl clusters. At the classical percolation limit (30 mol % Ag), a narrow conduction electron c.e.s.r. signal at g = 1.888 was observed; this was assigned to electrons in a AgCl-like band. The electrons giving rise to this signal sampled extended regions of the crystal and had a lifetime greatly extended over that observed for conduction electrons in pure AgCl. The c.e.s.r. lineshape was examined as a function of electron concentration and the observed asymmetry at low electron concentrations is discussed in terms of wavefunction localization in band tails. The exceptionally long conduction electron lifetime is explained in terms of the inability of the conduction electrons to move into zones containing the stationary Ag2+ centres. We suggest that Ag2+ centres formed in AgCl like regions rapidly recombine with electrons, while those in more NaCl-like regions are insulated therefrom. The AgCl-NaCl solid solutions were metastable, and the Ag2+ and c.e.s.r. parameters could be used to follow incipient phase separation.
ISSN:0080-4630
2053-9169