Replication Data for: Application of combined Laser Ablation and TXRF methods for columbite-tantalite analysis from Aguamena, Venezuela

Columbite-tantalite (Coltan) samples from Venezuela have been studied by the new procedures of Vacuum Deposition Laser Ablation (VD-LA), Liquid-Phase Laser Ablation (LP-LA), and by direct irradiation of finely pulverized material deposited as a liquid suspension coupled with Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence (TXRF). With VD-LA, the beam from pulsed third harmonic Nd:YAG laser pulses impinges directly on the face of the mineral sample in vacuum, depositing the ablated material on TXRF sample carriers. With LP-LA, mineral specimens were placed under distilled de-ionized water in a quartz cell and subjected to pulsed laser ablation. The nanoparticle suspension produced was analyzed by TXRF. Products were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy, showing that liquid-phase ablated material forms spherical nanoparticles, with the composition close to the bulk concentration of the ablated products. The results of contained radioactivity, as well as the TXRF analysis, show the existence of significant variability in the composition of mineral specimens obtained from the Aguamena area in Venezuela.

本研究针对委内瑞拉产出的钶钽铁矿（Columbite-tantalite, Coltan）样品，采用真空沉积激光烧蚀（Vacuum Deposition Laser Ablation, VD-LA）、液相激光烧蚀（Liquid-Phase Laser Ablation, LP-LA）两种新型实验方法，以及将精细研磨后的样品配制成液体悬浮液后直接辐照，并结合全反射X射线荧光光谱法（Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence, TXRF）开展分析。采用真空沉积激光烧蚀时，脉冲三次谐波Nd:YAG激光束直接入射至真空环境中的矿物样品表面，将烧蚀产物沉积于TXRF样品载具上；液相激光烧蚀实验中，将矿物标本置于盛有蒸馏去离子水的石英池中，接受脉冲激光烧蚀，所制得的纳米颗粒悬浮液通过TXRF进行分析。通过扫描电子显微镜（Scanning Electron Microscopy）对产物进行表征，结果显示液相烧蚀产物可形成球形纳米颗粒，其组分与烧蚀产物的本体浓度相近。放射性含量检测结果与TXRF分析结果均表明，从委内瑞拉阿瓜梅纳地区采集的矿物标本的组分存在显著变异性。