Graphite is one of the natural manifestations of the chemical element carbon. It has many uses as a material, for example in the battery and the electronic industry, as a lubricant or in reactor technology. For many applications, a special, high-purity graphite is required. A reliable and sensitive analytical method is needed for this reason.
The analysis of trace elements in graphite is rather difficult, however. Electro thermal evaporation (ETV) and introduction into an ICP-OES is the perfect technique. By optimizing the vaporization of the impurities contained in the graphite matrix, extraordinary sensitivities can be achieved. The method is described in DIN 51457 and ASTM D8186.
For the determination of the lowest detection limits, the combination of ETV and an axial plasma observation is best suited; for the determination of higher analyte concentrations, the radial observation shows the best results. Thanks to the innovative technology of the SPECTRO ARCOS ICP-OES with MultiView, it is possible to measure samples in both radial and axial plasma views with the same ICP-OES instrument.
Learn more in this informative application report.