Electrical conductivity and amorphization of Sc2(WO4)3 at high pressures and temperatures Original Research Article

Impedance spectroscopy measurements and synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies of Sc2(WO4)3 at 400°C have been carried out as a function of pressure up to 4.4 GPa. Ionic conductivity shows normal decrease with increase in pressure up to 2.9 GPa, but then increases at higher pressures. The XRD results show that Sc2(WO4)3 undergoes pressure-induced amorphization at pressures coincident with the reversal in conductivity behavior. The loss of crystal structure at high pressure is consistent with growing evidence of pressure-induced amorphization in negative thermal expansion materials, such as Sc2(WO4)3. The increase in conductivity in the amorphized state is interpreted as the result of an increase in structural entropy and a concomitant reduction of energy barriers for ionic transport.