DETERMINATION OF IMPURITIES IN SIALON BY ICP-AES

Impurities (Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Ti, Y, Zn and Zr) in sialon powder were determined by the following procedure: A sample (0.5 g) was heated with a mixture of hydrofluoric acid (3 ml) and nitric acid (1 ml) in a Teflon pressure vessel at 170-degrees-C for 16 h. The contents of the vessel were transferred into a platinum crucible containing phosphoric acid (4 ml) and heated on a hot plate until the opaque appearance of the content changed to a clear-syrupy fluid. The fluid was diluted to 100 ml with water and used for ICP-AES analysis of all impurity elements except K, which was determined by AAS. It was necessary to match closely the matrix concentrations (H3PO4, Al and/or Y) of the standard solutions with those of sialon sample solutions for the determination of impurities because of interferences of the matrix components. This method was successfully applied to the determination of impurities in commercial sialon samples.