The animation shows ionic conductivity occurring in sodium chloride. Ionic conduction occurs when a vacancy defect in the crystal allows for an ion to move through the open structure. The moving ion (Na+) follows a curved path to avoid getting too close to the chloride ions to reduce the energy required to conduct. View how the defect formation affects 3D structure.
This conduction has a wide variety of uses particularly in solid oxide fuel cells and other ceramics. These defects can also occur in fluorite structures.
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J.B. Goodenough, H. Y. P. Hong and J. A. Kafalas, Mater. Res. Bull., 1976, 11, 203-220.