The Study of Optimal Conditions for the Quantitative Analysis of Silicate Minerals with Electron Probe Micro Analyzer
Keywords:
Silicate minerals, Quantitative analysis, Standard reference material, Electron probe micro analyzerAbstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal operating conditions for the analysis of the main compositions of silicate minerals. These consist of Na2O, Al2O3, FeO, CaO, K2O, P2O5, TiO2, MgO, SiO2 and MnO. The working conditions were designed at 25 nA beam current, 15 and 20 kV acceleration voltage, measurement times of 10, 15, 20, and 30 seconds, and background times of 5 and 10 seconds, respectively. The results showed that the optimum ratio of measurement time to background time for Na2O and Al2O3 was 10:5 seconds; for FeO, CaO and K2O was 10:10 seconds; and for P2O5, TiO2, MgO, SiO2 and MnO was 10:15 seconds. When this optimized condition was analyzed and compared with the standard reference material, the analytical results showed an error of less than 1%, demonstrating that the new condition improved the instrument's measurement efficiency more effectively than the original condition used in the analysis.
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