Effect of adsorption of vapours on the electrical conductivity of some polyene semiconductors: adsorption and desorption kinetics

The change in semiconductive properties of β-apo-8′-carotenal, astacene and methyl bixin on adsorption of various vapours on the crystallite surfaces has been studied at a constant sample temperature. The adsorption of vapours enhances the semiconductivity of the polyenes appreciably. This enhancement depends on the chemical nature and also on the pressure of the adsorbed vapour. The adsorption and desorption kinetics follow the modified Roginsky-Zeldovich relation. A two stage desorption process, the first stage of which gives a Lennard-Jones potential energy curve and is followed by a rate-determining transition over a potential energy barrier to the second stage of adsorption forming weakly bound complexes between the vapour molecules and the polyene crystallites, can explain satisfactorily the experimentally observed kinetic data.