Trace Elements
Detection limits of the ETHZ Super-SIMS setup, data taken from C. Maden, 2003. A modified ATOMIKA CS 431 generates a primary Cs ion beam with good spatial resolution, the secondary ion beam is fed into a 6 MV tandem accelerator. This illustrates very impressively the potential of combining SIMS with a tandem accelerator.
Super-SIMS (SIMS = Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) is an ultrasensitive analytical method for the determination of stable elements at the ultra-trace level. It combines a dynamical SIMS with an existing AMS-setup (DREAMS) to suppress molecular isobaric background, while keeping its lateral resolution.
AMS determines ratios of a radionuclide to a stable one, Super-SIMS can be used to measure stable isotope ratios. As stable elements are universally present, already shown by Ida Noddak, 1936, this task is challenging at ultratrace levels.
Every matrix and element is its own case. The figure on the right shows the special case of SIMS and Super-SIMS (ETHZ) detection limits in a silicon matrix (C. Maden, PhD thesis, ETH Zurich, 2003).
Applications
WEEE-man weighing 3.3 t, representing the lifetime impact of WEEE of every person on Earth
Metallurgy of rare strategic metals in WEEE. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) contains critical metals inhomogeneously distributed in often very low concentrations. In order to enable an energy-efficient recovery of these raw materials, a fundamental understanding of the metallurgical processes, in particular the mass balance, is required. Spatially resolved investigations of the element distribution between slag and metal phases down to very low concentration ranges form an important potential application area of Super-SIMS.
Traceability through fingerprinting of critical raw materials. In recent years many national and international regulations demand certified supply chains. As elemental (or isotopic) patterns can be a unique fingerprint, Super-SIMS could allow the analysis of the raw materials and intermediate products involved. This method could be used to certify sustainable supply chains in special cases. See e.g. the European law Regulation (EU) 2017/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017
Geochemical relation of Hg/I as well as Br/Cl in gold and pyrite of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa (from Altigani et al. 2016)
Fluid chemistry - mirror of the genesis of ore deposits. Hydrothermal ore forming fluids cannot be directly sampled. But the analysis of halogens in ore minerals at the ultratrace element level (≤0.01 µg/g) could help to understand the genesis of ore deposits.
Technical Details
|
Technical Specifications
Future Applications
Sample Requirements
Limitations
|
Super-SIMS Housing ©Oliver Killig |
User Information
Projects and Collaborations
|
Further Reading
Fundamentals
|
Own publications (see also here)
|
