Electrical conductivity and domain structure in ferroelastic Tl2SeO4

We have carried out the optical observation, electrical conductivity and 205Tl NMR measurements, and subsequently investigated the origin of the large conductivity above ferroelastic phase transition temperature Tc (=661 K) on the basis of the domain structure and the crystal structure. Electrical conductivity exhibits the discontinuous increase around Tc with increasing temperature and becomes approximately 5 × 10−3 S m−1 above Tc. Moreover, from the 205Tl NMR measurements, it is found that mobile Tl ions exist above Tc. Furthermore, from the analysis of the domain structure based on the crystal structure in the low-temperature ferroelastic phase, it is also found that the anomalously large fluctuations of SeO4 tetrahedrons exist above Tc. It is deduced from these results that the high electrical conductivity above Tc is caused by the mobile Tl ions closely related to the anomalously large fluctuations of SeO4 tetrahedrons accompanied by the ferroelastic phase transition.