Atom probe tomography (APT) of carbonate minerals

Abstract

Atom probe tomography (APT) combines the highest spatial resolution with chemical data at atomic scale for the analysis of materials. For geological specimens, the process of field evaporation and molecular ion formation and interpretation is not yet entirely understood. The objective of this study is to determine the best conditions for the preparation and analysis by APT of carbonate minerals, of great importance in the interpretation of geological processes, focusing on the bulk chemical composition. Results show that the complexity of the mass spectrum is different for calcite and dolomite and relates to dissimilarities in crystalochemical parameters. In addition, APT bulk chemistry of calcite closely matches the expected stoichiometry but fails to provide accurate atomic percentages for elements in dolomite under the experimental conditions evaluated in this work. For both calcite and dolomite, APT underestimates the amount of oxygen based on their chemical formula, whereas it is able to detect small percentages of elemental substitutions in crystal lattices. Overall, our results demonstrate that APT of carbonate minerals is possible, but further optimization of the experimental parameters are required to improve the use of atom probe tomography for the correct interpretation of mineral geochemistry.

Keywords: Calcite; Dolomite; Evaporation; Field-emission; LEAP; Stoichiometry.