Preparation of samples with both hard and soft phases for electron backscatter diffraction: examples from gold...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Geology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• High-quality sample surfaces are essential for microanalytical data collection.
• The
• beilby
• layer on gold and mixed hard-soft phases in ores complicate sample preparation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for preparing polished sample surfaces on all mineral phases for electron backscatter diffraction analysis.
• To overcome challenges in preparing ore samples with both hard and soft mineral phases.

Main Methods:

• A combination of chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) and broad ion-beam polishing (BIBP) was employed.
• The sequence of CMP followed by BIBP was investigated.

Main Results:

• CMP effectively polishes hard mineral phases but can damage soft surfaces.
• BIBP is critical for achieving a high-quality polish on soft phases, such as gold.
• The combined CMP and BIBP method successfully prepared samples containing diverse mineral phases.

Conclusions:

• Performing CMP before BIBP is critical for optimal sample preparation.
• This efficient method allows for the complete quantification of ore textures and all constituent mineral phases, including soft alloys.