Solid state materials exhibiting ion conduction properties are usually referred to as "solid electrolytes", "fast ion conductors (FIC)", "superionic solids" or simply as "ion conductors", depending on the author's preference or the magnitude of electrical conductivity. Since the pioneering work by Yao and Kummer' in 1967 on sodium conduction in B-aluminas, a large number of studies have been made on alkali ion conduction in inorganic solids. Applications of these conductors can be found in various areas such as solid state batteries, fuel cells, electronic displays or memory devices. More recently, in the early 80's, suggestion of applying electrochromic (EC) materials to the fabrication of smart windows (SW) has prompted increased interest in ion conductor studies, especially those aiming at finding transparent ion conductors.
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