MONITORING THE TRANSPORT OF IONS THROUGH COATINGS USING BETA DECAYINGNUCLIDES FOR LABELING

A method suitable for studying the migration of labelled ions in solid samples is proposed. The basic principle is not new: the evaluation i s based on the energy distribution of beta particles, influenced by ab sorption and, consequently, by the depth profile of the labelled ion c oncentration. The mathematical approach is, however, new: such paramet ers are defined which are very sensitive to changes in the depth profi le. The parameters introduced do not depend on the amount of labelled ions absorbed on the surface. Transport processes can be traced on the basis of changes in these parameters. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.