Electrical conductivity of water during quasi-isentropic compression to 130 GPa

The specific electrical conductivity Sigma of water was measured during multistage shock loading to pressures of 12-130 GPa. At maximum pressure the density of the water was 3.2 g/cm(3). Three or four pressure discontinuities could usually be resolved experimentally and the value of Sigma was determined in each of these. As the pressure was increased in this range, the value of Sigma increased from 1.2 to approximately 150 S/cm. In electrochemical experiments, galvanic cells having electrodes of various metals and water as the electrolyte were subjected to dynamic compression. The characteristics of the recorded emf of these cells indicate that the high electrical conductivity of highly compressed water is of an ionic nature. (C) 2000 MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica.