Investigation of lanthanum-strontium-cobalt ferrites using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Abstract

In the present study, suitability of laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for characterization of the purity and homogeneity of lanthanum-strontium-cobalt ferrite (LSCF) ceramic microsamples with general formula La1‐xSrxFe0.025Co0.975O3 (0.00≤x≤0.50) was studied through determination of their Sr:La ratios as well as Sr content either in depth or line profiling mode. The Sr content of the LSCF samples expressed as weight percent ranged between 5.8% and 9.7% in the case of wet chemical ICP-MS analysis, while theoretical values varied from 5.5% to 9.4%. In the case of LA-ICP-MS, relative standard deviation of the La-normalized Sr intensities was sufficient to characterize the homogeneity of the studied samples. Major and trace element (Mn, Ni, Cu, Mg, Al, Ba) concentrations could be detected at medium resolution of the applied sector field ICP-MS instrument after microwave-assisted acid digestion. For depth and line profiling, a successful approach consisted of the normalization of intensities of Sr, Fe and Co with the corresponding La counts. For the determination of the elemental ratios of La and Sr, the methods involving LA were in good agreement with theoretical values by standardization to an in-house standard corresponding to the LSCF sample having the highest x value (i.e., 0.50) checked by wet chemical ICP-MS measurements. Thus, assessment of fine scale doping of synthesized perovskite type of microsamples could be achieved by the proposed LA-ICP-MS based on a novel calibration approach applying an in-house perovskite standard. Therefore, LA-ICP-MS can be recommended for quality control of perovskite-based products.In memoriam Attila Vértes (1934–2011), full professor of the Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.