It was recalled that the use of ion-exchange techniques for doping silicate glasses with transition metals had attracted great attention with regard to producing systems in which metal nanocluster formation was controlled by suitable post-exchange techniques. In this regard, the control of the metal distribution within the glass was pivotal in understanding the incorporation process and for designing effective preparation methods. Here, metallic films (Ag, Cu, Au, Co) were deposited onto substrates by radio-frequency sputtering. The metal ions then replaced glass alkali via field-assisted ion-exchange, using various temperatures and electric field strengths. In particular, the Au doping of silicate glasses was successfully achieved for the first time by using this method. The Au diffusion profiles, as measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry, indicated that the migration depended upon the experimental parameters (temperature and electric field), upon the local structure and upon chemical phenomena occurring at the metal/glass interface.

Diffusion Behavior of Transition Metals in Field-Assisted Ion-Exchanged Glasses. F.Gonella, E.Cattaruzza, A.Quaranta, S.Ali, N.Argiolas, C.Sada: Solid State Ionics, 2006, 177[35-36], 3151-5