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Rob McConnell, Technology Division General Manager, talks about the reason we use ‘expensive’ ceramics in our fusion machines.  Rob is a ceramics engineer and has been with XRF Scientific for over 10 years:

We have been developing electric furnaces for over 20 years now, initially the Modutemp range and more recently the xrFuse range of fusion machines.  One of the problems we faced in the past was finding a material to use for the platinum crucible and mould holders that didn’t contaminate the sample.  Initially we used Inconel for our fusion furnaces, which worked reasonably well, however over time the material can break down, and contamination can occur with over-use of the holders.

Around 6 years ago we discovered a special high tech ...

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 ...