Lithium superionic conduction in lithium borohydride accompanied by structural transition

The electrical conductivity of lithium borohydride (LiBH4) measured by the ac complex impedance method jumped by three orders of magnitude due to structural transition from orthorhombic to hexagonal at approximately 390 K. The hexagonal phase exhibited a high electrical conductivity of the order of 10(-3) S cm(-1). Furthermore, the conductivity calculated from the Nernst-Einstein equation using the correlation time obtained from Li-7 nuclear magnetic resonance was in good agreement with the measured electrical conductivity. It was concluded that the electrical conductivity in the hexagonal phase is due to the Li superionic conduction. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.