Rapid Sintering Method for Preparing Matrix-Matched Reference Materials in LA-MC-ICP-MS - An Example of Hafnium

Area of Science:

• Geochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Matrix effects in laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) analyses can lead to inaccurate Hf isotopic ratios.
• Accurate in situ microanalysis requires matrix-matched reference materials to correct for these biases.
• Traditional methods for preparing reference materials are often time-consuming and costly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel fast hot-pressing (FHP) sintering method for producing Hf isotope reference materials.
• To demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of FHP technology in creating dense, homogeneous reference materials for in situ analysis.
• To assess the suitability of FHP-sintered cassiterite and rutile as reference materials for Hf isotope determination.

Main Methods:

• Development of a fast hot-pressing (FHP) sintering technique to prepare reference materials.
• Optimization of sintering temperatures to achieve dense structures and homogeneous Hf isotopic compositions.
• Analysis of Hf isotope compositions in FHP-sintered cassiterite and rutile using femtosecond laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS).

Main Results:

• The FHP method rapidly produced dense and homogeneous Hf isotopic reference materials.
• Hf isotope compositions determined by femtosecond LA-MC-ICP-MS on FHP-sintered samples were consistent with conventional MC-ICP-MS results.
• Homogeneity tests confirmed minimal variation among sintered sample tablets, indicating their reliability as reference materials.

Conclusions:

• The FHP sintering method is an efficient, cost-effective, and rapid approach for synthesizing matrix-matched reference materials for in situ Hf isotope analysis.
• FHP-sintered cassiterite and rutile show great potential as reliable reference materials for LA-MC-ICP-MS.
• This technique holds promise for the synthesis of a wide range of isotope matrix-matched reference materials.