Simultaneous Determination of the Composition and Size of Oxide Particles in Solid Materials by Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has been used for the determination of the composition and size of oxide particles consisting of SiO 2 , MnO, Al 2 O 3 , MgO and CaO on the surface of a glass or metal sample. The composition and size of multicomponent oxide particles such as MnO-SiO 2 , CaO-Al 2 O 3 and CaO-Al 2 O 3 -MgO evaluated by LA-ICP-MS are compared with those obtained by chemical analysis and by SEM observation. It is confirmed that LA-ICP-MS method has prospects to be applied for quick and simultaneous measurement of the composition and size of particles on the surface of metals in steelmaking industry. The difference between the particle size determined by LA-ICP-MS and that by SEM ranges from 6 to 13% on an average in the range of d V ¼ 7$40 mm.

Application of Laser Ablation ICP Mass Spectrometry for Analysis of Oxide Particles on Cross Section of Alloys and Steels

“…The inclusion characteristics in metal such as composition, size and number were analyzed on polished cross section of samples by LA-ICP-MS. A schematic illustration of LA-ICP-MS system, general instrumental conditions and analytical procedures were described in previous articles. 7,10,14) The samples (Exp. 1-8 in Table 1), standard metal samples (LSt-1 to LSt-6 in Table 2) and glass standard samples (SBL-0 to SBL-5) were measured using LA-ICP-MS at the same operating parameters: laser scan speed = 0.01 mm/s, laser energy = 2.0 mJ/shot, laser shot frequency = 20 Hz and defocus of laser beam = 0 mm.…”

“…1(b). Since the ion intensity of isotope is directly proportional to the mass of this element in ablated inclusion, 7,14) it can be concluded that the maximum size of inclusions in sample Exp. 5 is larger than that in Exp.…”

“…The detailed description for the determination of peak area, inclusion composition and size were given in previous articles. 7,14) The following size cali-bration lines for MgO and Al2O3 particles are used for the calculation of dV:…”

“…In recent years, the LA-ICP-MS was applied for the direct analysis of steels and alloys concerning to the determination of the bulk composition, [5][6][7][8] the content of soluble and insoluble elements 7,8) the spatial and surface distribution of elements in steels and alloys, 8,9) and the mapping analysis of inclusions. [10][11][12][13][14] In this study, the LA-ICP-MS method is applied for the estimation of oxide particles containing Al2O3, MgO and other oxides on the cross section of Fe-10 mass% Ni alloy. Some limit factors for the analysis of particles by the LA-ICP-MS are discussed regarding to the content of soluble elements and the number of inclusions in metal.…”

Effect of Slag Protection System and Sample Geometry on Homogeneity of Total Oxygen Content in Samples from Liquid Steel

“…Therefore, methods for quick determination of inclusion characteristics are under development, i.e. OES‐PDA 1, 2 and LA‐ICP‐MS 3, 4. However, for accurate determinations of inclusion characteristics in steel samples from liquid steel, they should be homogenous and represent the conditions in the liquid steel in the ladle.…”