Abstract
The present paper presents a new approach for k0-NAA for accurate quantification with short turnaround analysis times for rare earth elements (REEs) in high content mineral matrices. REE k0 and Q0 values, spectral interferences and nuclear interferences were experimentally evaluated and improved with Alfa Aesar Specpure Plasma Standard 1000mgkg-1 mono-rare earth solutions. The new iterative gamma-ray self-attenuation and neutron self-shielding methods were investigated with powder standards prepared from 100mg of 99.9% Alfa Aesar mono rare earth oxide diluted with silica oxide. The overall performance of the new k0-NAA method for REEs was validated using a certified reference material (CRM) from Canadian Certified Reference Materials Project (REE-2) with REE content ranging from 7.2mgkg-1 for Yb to 9610mgkg-1 for Ce. The REE concentration was determined with uncertainty below 7% (at 95% confidence level) and proved good consistency with the CRM certified concentrations.
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