Electrical Conductivity of Synthetic Crystalline Zeolites

The electrical conductivity of anhydrous Linde zeolite types A, X, and Y in various cationic forms has been measured between 20 and 400°C. The conductivity is ohmic, essentially noncapacitive, and appears to be strictly ionic with unusually low activation energy. From the effect of zeolite channel size, type of cation and cation density on ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS for the conduction process, some conclusions as to the zeolite internal structure and surface energy have been obtained. The heterogeneity of the internal surface energy found by the measurement of adsorption heats is discussed in the light of these conclusions.