MULTIELEMENT ANALYSIS OF ALUMINUM-BASED CERAMIC POWDERS BY INSTRUMENTAL AND RADIOCHEMICAL NEUTRON-ACTIVATION ANALYSIS

Instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis have been applied to a comprehensive trace characterization of aluminium oxide and aluminium nitride powders using conventional irradiation conditions as well as a special facility providing an extremely low ratio of fast to thermal neutrons enabling to reduce essentially the production of Na-24 via the reaction Al-27(n, alpha). Irradiation modes and experimental parameters are given for the determination of 56 elements leading to limits of detection below 100 ng g 1 for 39 elements. For the analysis of sample materials of good and high purity using usual neutron flux profiles, the selective removal of Na-24 was achieved by its adsorption on a hydrated antimony pentoxide (HAP) column from 12 M HCl. For a number of elements, the results obtained on materials of different purity grades are compared with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry within an interlaboratory intercomparison.