Surfaces and materials of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry — more than a merely morphological study

Abstract

An overview of morphological studies on evaporation surfaces in electrothermal AAS by scanning electron microscopy is presented. Principal possibilities for the reduction or prevention of interferences are discussed as far as they are related to the material and surface of the atomizer. Unused and corroded surfaces were studied for a wide range of materials currently in general use or still in a developmental stage: polycrystalline electrographite tubes coated with pyrolytic graphite or impregnated with metal salt solutions, total pyrolytic graphite platforms in combination with pyrolytic graphite coated tubes, total pyrolytic graphite tubes, glassy carbon tubes, tungsten tube atomizers, polycrystalline electrographite tubes and total pyrolytic graphite platforms coated with refractory metal carbides by physical vapor deposition.