Channel diffusion of sodium in a silicate glass

Abstract

We use classical molecular dynamics simulations to study the dynamics of sodium atoms in amorphous Na$_2$O-4SiO$_2$. We find that the sodium trajectories form a well connected network of pockets and channels. Inside these channels the motion of the atoms is not cooperative but rather given by independent thermally activated hops of individual atoms between the pockets. By determining the probability that an atom returns to a given starting site, we show that such events are not important for the dynamics of this system.