Fractional calculus applied to the analysis of spectral electrical conductivity of clay–water system

The analysis of the low-frequency conductivity spectra of the clay–water mixtures is presented. The frequency dependence of the conductivity is shown to follow the power-law with the exponent n = 0.67 before reaching the frequency-independent part. When scaled with the value of the frequency-independent part of the spectrum the conductivity spectra for samples at different water content values are shown to fit to a single master curve. It is argued that the observed conductivity dispersion is a consequence of the anomalously diffusing ions in the clay–water system. The fractional Langevin equation is then used to describe the stochastic dynamics of the single ion. The results indicate that the experimentally observed dielectric properties originate in anomalous ion transport in clay–water system characterized with time-dependent diffusion coefficient.