Hydrogen/lithium interdiffusion in a lithium aluminosilicate glass studied by NRA and RBS

Abstract

Samples of a lithium aluminosilicate (LAS) glass, a model glass for technical LAS glass used in the production of glass ceramics, were treated in hot sulfuric acid and analyzed using Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) techniques for determining hydrogen and lithium depth profiles in the surface layer. It was found that the depth profiles of these two elements are fully complementary, showing that H⁺/Li⁺ ion exchange takes place during the treatment. As revealed by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) measurements the other glass constituents were not affected by the treatment.