Superionicity in Na3PO4:: A molecular dynamics simulation -: art. no. 064302

Fast ionic conduction in solid Na3PO4 is studied by use of molecular dynamics simulation based on the modified Lu-Hardy approach. We obtain reasonable agreement with experiment for the structural transition and diffusion of the sodium ions. All the sodium ions are found to contribute comparably to the high ionic conductivity. The results of the simulation are discussed in terms of the relative magnitude of the two proposed transport mechanisms: percolation and paddle-wheel. It appears to us that the percolation mechanism dominates the sodium diffusion.