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The Range of Fusion Equipment Available from XRF Scientific
Fusion equipment is used to perform borate fusion, a sample preparation method where an oxidized sample is dissolved in a molten flux at around 1050oC. Fusion equipment is typically used for sample preparation for x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analytical techniques.
The process of borate fusion doesn’t use any concentrated or toxic acids, which makes it safe, and the sample preparation time is considerably shorter than other methods. Using a fusion machine results in a very effective and pure sample, improving any further analysis.
Typical samples that can be prepared using a fusion machine include ceramics, rocks, pigments, ores, and cement.
This blog post will highlight the range of fusion equipment available from XRF S...
Why Reference Materials are Important in XRF Analysis
Reference materials are controls used to validate the quality and traceability of a sample and to validate the methods used to analyze these materials. Reference materials are often used in analytical chemistry to perform these validations, as most analytical instruments gather comparative data. A comparison of the reference material and the sample under test provides a range of information in XRF analysis, including the coating thickness and other material surface properties.
Different Types of Reference Materials
Depending on the product under analysis there is a range of reference materials that can be employed.
Pure chemicals are often used, especially in applications that require chemical purity or trace chemical analysis. Reference materials c...
Choosing a Flux for XRF Sample Preparation
When performing the fusion method of XRF sample preparation, a flux is a chemical used to dissolve an oxidized sample to produce a fused bead that is free of any mineral structures. Borate fusion is a popular technique and there are a variety of chemicals that can be used as a flux for this method. This blog post will outline some of the factors that should be considered when choosing a flux and the options available.
Flux Considerations
Depending on your application requirements there are various factors that should be considered before selecting a flux.
The purity of the flux can be critical in applications where trace level accuracy is needed. Ensuring high levels of purity is also important to reduce the risk of any sample contamination and back...
