Three empirical cases of the deposition morphology influence in the analytical quality of direct solid suspension measurements by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence

This work describes three empirical cases where the influence of the microscopic and macroscopic morphology of the sample depositions analyzed by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence with respect to the accuracy and uncertainties of its analytical results is shown. The first case was the direct solid analysis of reference clay, where a strong dependence between the accuracy and the uncertainty of the evaluated elements with respect to the microscopic morphology of the depositions obtained in water and toluene liquid medium was observed. The second case was the analysis of a solid suspension of magnetite nanoparticles, where the evaluation of the different macroscopic deposition morphologies, for different kinds of sample carriers and evaporation processes, produces an important variation of the uncertainty associated to the Fe measurements but not for its nominal values. Finally, the third case was the analysis of Ru and Se impregnated in carbon nanoparticles. In this case, the ultrasonic modifications of the particle size distributions in the solid suspensions, together with the macroscopic morphology variation of its solid depositions, produce drastic consequences in the uncertainties associated with the metallic content.