In X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, achieving reliable limits of detection and quantification is strongly influenced by effective control of contamination during sample pelletising. While modern XRF spectrometers offer exceptional stability and resolution, their performance can be undermined long before analysis begins if sample preparation is poorly controlled. Trace contaminants introduced during pelletising can elevate background signals, distort peak intensities, or obscure low-level analytes entirely. For this reason, contamination control must be treated as an integral part of the XRF sample preparation workflow, with consistent, technically grounded controls applied at each stage.

Defining Primary Sources of Contamination

Several distinct sources acco

In X-ray fluorescence (XRF) laboratories, the choice of sample preparation method determines analytical precision and accuracy by governing sampling representivity, physical stability, and matrix effects. Because the XRF spectrometer interrogates only a small volume of material, any heterogeneity introduced or left unresolved during preparation is expressed directly in the reported result. Sample preparation techniques therefore function as analytical controls, each addressing a specific limitation associated with solid samples rather than serving as interchangeable processing steps. Crushing, pelletising, and fusion differ in how much variability they suppress, how much effort they require, and which sources of uncertainty remain present at the point of analysis. Comprehending such diffe

Data quality in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is inseparable from sample preparation quality. Fusion-based preparation removes mineralogical and particle size effects only once a sample is fully dissolved into a uniform glass. The fusion flux ratio sits at the centre of this process, defining dissolution capacity, matrix dilution, and glass stability, all of which directly influence analytical precision and repeatability, and govern measurement accuracy across major, minor, and trace elements. When carefully optimized for the material under analysis, the fusion flux ratio becomes one of the most effective controls available for improving XRF performance.

Why fusion flux ratios matter in precise XRF sample preparation

Selecting an appropriate fusion flux

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