Electrochemical Measurements on Clay Minerals for Possible Sensor Applications

Natural clays were characterized by XRD, TGA and SEM/EDX, then pressed to pellets and analyzed by impedance measurements under various defined gas compositions and temperatures. From the Nyquist plot, conductivity values were calculated for the different clay samples. A strong dependence of the conductivity on the water vapour concentration at low temperatures was found for all investigated clay samples. Partial substitution of water by methanol led to a decrease in conductivity at low temperatures, confirming the essential role water plays in the conductivity mechanism at these temperatures. Increasing the temperature resulted in a decrease in conductivity, until a turn-over point was reached. Beyond this temperature an Arrhenius behaviour was observed, suggesting a change in the conductivity mechanism.