Precipitation of dissolved alkali salts and fullerenes on surfaces of doped porous matter

Abstract

Standard porcelain samples burnt at different temperatures were doped with LiCl, organo-Li solutions, or with fullerene solution and then dried. The depth profiles of both Li and fullerene were determined. The distributions of the incorporated dopants strongly depend on the samples' porosity. Additional ultrasonic treatment during the diffusion process has a fatal influence on the porcelain structure, resulting in enhanced dopant uptake of the remaining sample. The surface-near shape of the depth profiles is interpreted by solvation, i.e., by precipitation of the dissolved salts or fullerenes in the surface-near zone during the drying process. It is shown that the solvation effect is important only in the case of media with high porosity.