Correlative microscopy techniques for the analysis of particles in safeguards environmental samples

Abstract

This paper presents a novel approach to environmental particle analysis for safeguards by means of a combination of micro-analytical techniques. It includes the tandem utilization of two separate light microscopes, a scanning electron microscope and a femtosecond laser-ablation ICP-MS. These are: a light microscopy automated particle relocation device (Zeiss Z2m); an optical-microscopy-based laser micro-dissection system (IX83 MMI+Olympus); a focussed ion beam scanning electron microscope equipped with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer extension (Tescan Lyra3) and a fs LA-ICP-MS (J200 from Applied Spectra Inc. and Thermofisher Scientific iCap Q). The samples examined in this contribution are analysed for their nuclear material signatures, in particular the presence of uranium isotopes.