Trapping and diffusion of rare gases in phillipsite, zeolite K—M and other silicates

Abstract

The potential of a number of silicates, of the felspathoid, fibrous clay, zeolite and other silicate groups, has been investigated for the trapping and storage of inert gases. The crystals, suitably outgassed, were exposed to high pressures of inert gas at high temperature and then quenched while still under pressure. In phillipsite and zeolite M, isotherms and diffusion coefficients were measured. Energy barriers for diffusion in a range of crystalline aluminosilicates are related to the free dimensions of the openings giving access to the intracrystalline cavities, with complications associated inter alia with cation siting and entrained impurity.