A brief history of alpha silver iodide

What is it about?

The discovery of alpha silver iodide by Tubandt and Lorenz in 1914 triggered the development of a new field of research, now called Solid State Ionics. The present review records the essential steps that have since been taken in experiment and modeling to derive a self-consistent picture of the structure and dynamics of the highly mobile silver ions in alpha silver iodide, which is stable between 147 and 555 degrees centigrade. Notably, the emerging picture includes both solid-like and liquid-like aspects. Recently, a transition to a more solid-like behavior of the silver ions has been observed in low-temperature alpha silver iodide, which could be stabilized by confinement in glass.

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Why is it important?

This review paper was written to mark the centennial of the discovery of alpha silver iodide by Tubandt and Lorenz in 1914.