[Ozark Tom]

Economics of the scheme probably turn on whether the active region is only skin deep, or operates throughout the bulk of the material. A plasma deposited surface coat on a supportive material would do wonders for stretching a limited resource.

[grey_whiskers]

+1

[Wonder Warthog]

"A plasma deposited surface coat on a supportive material would do wonders for stretching a limited resource."

There are many indications that this is indeed the preferred configuration. The substrate is, in many cases, a zirconium oxide bead. Deposition method may not necessarily be "plasma", but definitely a thin layer.