It has been very difficult to use popular elemental imaging techniques to image Li and B distribution in glass samples with nanoscale resolution. In this study, atom probe tomography (APT), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) were used to image the distribution of Li and B in two representative glass samples. APT can provide three-dimensional Li and B imaging with very high spatial resolution (= 2 nm). In addition, absolute quantification of Li and B is possible, though room remains to improve accuracy. However, the major drawbacks of APT include limited field of view (normally = 100 × 100 × 500 nm3) and poor sample compatibility. As a comparison, ToF-SIMS and NanoSIMS are sample-friendly with flexible field of view (up to 500 × 500 µm2 and image stitching is feasible); however, lateral resolution is limited to only about 100 nm. Therefore, SIMS and APT can be regarded as complementary techniques for nanoscale imaging Li and B in glass and other novel materials.
Revised: January 25, 2017 |
Published: June 2, 2016
Citation
Wang Z., J. Liu, Y. Zhou, J.J. Neeway, D.K. Schreiber, J.V. Crum, and J.V. Ryan, et al. 2016.Nanoscale Imaging of Li and B in Nuclear Waste Glass, a Comparison of ToF-SIMS, NanoSIMS and APT.Surface and Interface Analysis 48, no. 13:1392-1401.PNNL-SA-115059.doi:10.1002/sia.6049