Latest News

Sample preparation is an essential yet time-consuming aspect of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. It typically requires sample materials to be ground to fine consistencies in a multi-step homogenization process and separated into small powder samples of unerring uniformity. These individual samples are then dosed with one or more chemical reagents designed to facilitate fusion of sample particles at high temperatures.

The Importance of Flux Measurement

Borate flux is the primary agent in XRF sample preparation. Pure lithium tetraborate (Li₂B₄O₇) is occasionally used to dissolve mineral oxides at temperatures exceeding 1000°C (1832°F), but borate salts are rarely used in isolation for fusion flux. Typically, a mix of ...

In x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, samples are bombarded with incident x-rays that ionize the surface atoms of a sample material. This causes electrons to displace from their atomic orbits with a release of fluorescent energy that is characteristic of specific elemental signatures. A sensitive photodetector then acquires these relatively weak fluorescent signals with high rejection of backscattered and incident x-rays, to form a precise quantitative picture of the sample’s elemental composition on the major, trace, and ultra-trace levels.

XRF instruments are engineered to perform these incredibly precise analytical assessments of sensitive oxides with outstanding degrees of repeatability. This requires a precise combination of high-purity sample preparation and unerring ...

Borate fusion is a technique used to prepare near-homogenous or highly pure heterogenous samples for x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) analysis. It involves the dissolution of oxidized minerals in a molten fusion flux product at temperatures exceeding 1000°C (1832°F). Specialized furnaces are used to elevate the sample temperature within a platinum crucible and agitate the mixture, encouraging sample molecules to dissolve in the molten borate flux. This mixture is then transferred to a platinum mould and cooled. Typically, this method is used to prepare samples as fused discs, beads, or heterogenous liquid fusions for ICP analysis.

The primary raw materials used as fusion flux products are mixtures of lithium tetraborate (Li₂B₄O...