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Total reflection by synchrotron radiation: trace determination in nuclear materials
Author(s) -
Simabuco S. M.,
Vázquez C.,
Boeykens S.,
Barroso R. C.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
x‐ray spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.447
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1097-4539
pISSN - 0049-8246
DOI - 10.1002/xrs.540
Subject(s) - synchrotron radiation , impurity , x ray fluorescence , uranium , synchrotron , total internal reflection , detection limit , excitation , radiochemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , reflection (computer programming) , materials science , matrix (chemical analysis) , radiation , fluorescence , chemistry , optics , physics , chromatography , metallurgy , optoelectronics , computer science , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , programming language
The chemical control of impurities in nuclear materials is indispensable in order to ensure efficient operation of the reactors. The maximum concentration admitted depends on the elements and in most cases is in the parts per billion range. Conventional analytical methods require a preconcentration treatment of the sample and a previous separation of the matrix (uranium). In this work, we investigated the use of total reflection x‐ray fluorescence with synchrotron radiation excitation as an alternative methodology for the determination of impurities in nuclear materials, namely K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and As. The detection limits obtained were in the range 0.1–20 ng ml −1 for a 1000 s counting time. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.