Structural disorder and ionic conduction: The case of Bi2O3

The structural aspects of the ionic conduction properties of Bi2O3 are analyzed with a model based on the search of the common features in the X-ray diffraction pattern of the Bi2O3 phases. Within this model, which allows one to point out similarities in the metal sublattice distributions, static disorder effects are introduced and the α to β and β to δ phase transitions are described in terms of order-disorder transformations in the cation and anion sublattices, respectively. This finding makes it possible to outline, in parallel with previous results on ZrO2, possible conditions for obtaining high-temperature oxygen-ion conductors