Temperature dependence of short-circuit currents in α-LiIO3 crystals

The features of short-circuit currents in polar cut samples of α-LiIO3 crystals of the hexagonal modification are investigated. Indium and silver are chosen as conductive coatings taking into account their location in the series of electrochemical tension of metals. These coating materials are typical representatives of the electrochemical series of metal tension before (indium) and after (silver) hydrogen. The measurements were carried out using the SKIP hardware and software complex in the temperature range from Troom to 210 °C without applying an external electric field. The samples under study were not preliminarily exposed to any stimulating external effects: neither temperature, nor electrical, nor radiation, etc. Graphs of short-circuit current dependences on temperature were obtained with different materials of conductive coatings and according to different measurement schemes. An optical study of the surface of conductive coatings was carried out before and after heating. The effect of the material of the conductive coatings on the magnitude and direction of short-circuit current flow in the samples was established. In the case of symmetrical conductive coatings, depending on the application of indium or silver, the currents go in different directions. In the case of asymmetrical conductive coatings, depending on the side of silver application, taking into account the polarity of the crystal, the currents have different directions of flow and a magnitude that differs by more than 2 times. The difference in the temperature dependence graphs of heating and cooling, as well as the structural change in the surface of the materials of conductive coatings, may indicate the formation of new phases.