An EPMA study on KNbO3 and NaNbO3 single crystals -: Potential reference materials for quantitative microanalysis

Single crystals of KNbO3 and NaNbO3 were selected from the limited number of suitable alkali compounds that are available and evaluated as possible reference materials for the electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) of alkaline niobates with a composition described by the general formula K1-xNaxNbO3. The EPMA study verified that KNbO3 and NaNbO3 single crystals are stable under the electron beam and compositionally homogeneous. A quantitative microanalysis confirmed the composition of pure KNbO3, while the NaNbO3 crystal contained 0.3 mass fraction % of Ca. A significant improvement in the accuracy of the quantitative EPMA of polycrystalline potassium-sodium niobates was achieved using these single crystals as standards. The crystals can also be useful as reference materials for the analysis of sodium and potassium in other materials.