X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of Superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ by Glass Bead-FP Method

Abstract

In the accurate analysis of ceramic powders with few or no available standards by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, the glass bead technique combined with the Fundamental Parameter (FP) method is suitable. As an example of ceramic powder analysis, we determined Y₂O₃, BaO, and CuO in a superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ with this combined method.
The results obtained were as follows:
1) Satisfactory glass beads with near-infinite thickness to both incident and fluorescent X-rays were found to be prepared from 10g of Na₂B₄O₇, 1g of sample, and 0.20g of potassium iodide.
2) The calculation of the absorption enhancement effects for the YK_α, BaK_α, and CuK_α lines got the results below. The YK_α line is more absorbed by substituting Y₂O₃ in the mixed reagents (Y₂O₃-BaO-CuO) with either BaO or CuO. The BaK_α line is enhanced [a little more absorbed] by substituting BaO in the mixed reagents with CuO [Y₂O₃] The CuK_α line is more absorbed [a little enhanced] by substituting CuO in the mixed reagents with BaO [Y₂O₃].
3) Y₂O₃, BaO, and CuO in the superconductor were determined with the good accuracies (σ_d'S) of 0.11wt%, 0.18wt%, and 0.19wt%, respectively by the combined method.