Determination of hydrogen and sodium profiles at the glass surfaces by nuclear methods

A description of the methods used is given. They are based on direct observation of nuclear reactions produced by nitrogen-15 ions of 6.38 to 10 MeV energy and protons of 1 to 1.1 MeV energy. The performances of these techniques which are particularly interesting to explore the first few microns of the glass surface, non destructively, are presented. It is shown that the migration of hydrogen and sodium, during the determination is negligible when appropriate experimental conditions are used. Examples of application to glasses submitted to lixiviation are given