Quantitative analysis of strategic metals in polymetallic minerals using an in-house developed total reflection X-ray fluorescence system

Understanding the elemental composition of polymetallic minerals, particularly strategic metals, is essential for optimizing the development and utilization of critical mineral resources. This study introduces a rapid, cost-effective analytical method for the determination of strategic metals in polymetallic minerals using an in-house developed total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) system. This system is equipped with an Rh X-ray tube, a four-knife slit, a silicon drift detector, and Python-based spectral processing software, achieving detection limits ranging from 104.94-4.22 mg kg −1 for elements with atomic number (Z) from 11 to 38 and 86. Solid samples were prepared as suspensions by mixing 10 mg of powder in 1 mL of ethylene glycol, and Ga as internal standard was added. The quantitative analysis accuracy of the system was validated using cobalt-rich nodule standard reference material. Its application to real-world copper-nickel sulfide ores exhibited a strong linear correlation with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (R 2  = 0.9929) and yielded results comparable to those obtained with a commercial Mo-TXRF spectrometer (R 2  = 0.9919). These findings were demonstrated the suitability of the in-house developed TXRF system for the analysis of polymetallic minerals, and provide a valuable reference for its application.