Experimental evidence of polarization effects on exchangeable cations trapped in zeolites

The evolution of the activation energy of the conductivity depends on the n ature of the exchanged cations, and differs in faujasites X and Y. This sur prising phenomenon, reported in many works, is not yet satisfactorily expla ined. A qualitative explanation is proposed based on well-known results obt ained in the study of the interactions between chemical species, by means o f density functional theory. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021 - 9606(00)70335-7].