Effect of adsorption of vapours on the electrical conductivity of lycopene crystals: Evidence of a three-stage adsorption process

Abstract

Upon adsorption of various vapours, the electrical conductivity of lycopene semiconductor changes appreciably This phenomenon had been used as a probe to study the adsorption and desorption processes in these polyene crystals The adsorption and desorption kinetics have been found to follow a modified Roginsky-Zeldovich relation A three-stage adsorption process has been identified The first stage gives a Lennard-Jones potential energy curve, followed by a transition over a potential barrier to the second stage of adsorption in a potential well In the third stage a deep potential energy surface is reached by activation over a second potential barrier and strongly bound complexes between the vapour molecules and the surface molecules of the crystals are finally formed.