Reference material certification by prompt-gamma activation analysis

Neutron-capture prompt-gamma-ray activation analysis (PGAA) shares most of the virtues of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for reference material certification: highly penetrating probe and response radiation, simple physics, and few interelement interferences or matrix related non-linearities. PGAA complements INAA in determining a different suite of elements using the same tools: a neutron source and gamma-ray spectrometry. Several important elements that are difficult to measure by other techniques are measurable by PGAA, notably H, B, C, N, and S. A survey of published applications and NIST Standard Reference Material certification work shows over thirty different SRMs analyzed by PGAA, including biological materials (botanical and food), coal and fly ash, metals, and several other matrices.