Speaker: Caio Barca Bragatto, Assistant Professor of Physics at Coe College
Title: Thermodynamic Approach to Explain the Ionic Conductivity Enhancement on x AgI (1-x) AgPO3 Glasses
Abstract: The weak electrolyte model was initially proposed in the 70s to explain the almost exponential increase in the ionic conductivity of glasses in response to increasing concentrations of network modifiers (alkaline oxides). This models proposes that glass can be compared to a solution in which a dissolved halogenated salt (solute) is weakly dissociated in the glassy matrix (solvent). This works expand this approach, correlating the increase in ionic conductivity with the increase in the thermodynamic activity of AgI. In addition, experiments were carried out at different temperatures in various glass compositions to confirm this correlation, using electromotive force (EMF) measurements to determine the thermodynamic activity of the dissolved AgI in the AgPO3 matrix.
Bio: Caio Barca Bragatto is bachelor in Chemistry by the Sao Paulo University (Sao Carlos, Brazil) and got his Master/Ph.D. at the Federal University of Sao Carlos (Sao Carlos, Brazil), where he researched mainly the Weak Electrolyte Model to explain the Ionic Conductivity in glasses – under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Rodrigues and Prof. Dr. Souquet. After this, Caio joined the Otto-Schott Institute at the University of Jena in Germany as a research associate, working as the electrical properties expert, dealing with many different research projects.