Indium and antimony distribution in a sphalerite from the “burgstaetter gangzug” of the upper harz mountains pb-zn mineralization

Schirmer T, Ließmann W, Macauley C, Felfer P (2020)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Journal

Minerals MDPI

Book Volume: 10

Pages Range: 1-19

Article Number: 791

Journal Issue: 9

DOI: 10.3390/min10090791

Abstract

The sphalerite from the Burgstaetter Gangzug, a vein system of the Upper Harz Mountain nearby the town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, exhibits a very interesting and partly complementary incorporation pattern of Cu, In and Sb, which has not yet been reported for natural sphalerite. A sphalerite specimen was characterized with electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) and atom probe tomography (APT). Based on the EPMA results and a multilinear regression, a relation expressed as Cu = 0.98In + 1.81Sb + 0.03 can be calculated to describe the correlation between the elements. This indicates, that the incorporation mechanisms of In and Sb in the structure differ substantially. Indium is incorporated with the ratio Cu:In = 1:1 like in roquesite (CuInS2), supporting the coupled substitution mechanism 2Zn2+ → Cu+ + In3+. In contrast, Sb is incorporated with a ratio of Cu:Sb = 1.81:1. APT, which has a much higher spatial resolution indicates a ratio of Cu:Sb = 2.28:1 in the entire captured volume, which is similar to the ratio calculated by EPMA, yet with inhomogeneities at the nanometer-scale. Analysis of the solute distribution shows two distinct sizes of clusters that are rich in Cu, Sb and Ag.

Authors with CRIS profile

Chandra Macauley Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Allgemeine Werkstoffeigenschaften) Peter Felfer Professur für Atom Probe Tomography

Additional Organisation(s)

Professur für Atom Probe Tomography Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Allgemeine Werkstoffeigenschaften)

Related research project(s)

In-situ nanomechanics and FIB tomography of thin films (EXC315 EAM (A2-3)) Exzellenz-Cluster Engineering of Advanced Materials Nov. 1, 2012 - Oct. 31, 2017

Involved external institutions

Technische Universität Clausthal / Clausthal University of Technology DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Schirmer, T., Ließmann, W., Macauley, C., & Felfer, P. (2020). Indium and antimony distribution in a sphalerite from the “burgstaetter gangzug” of the upper harz mountains pb-zn mineralization. Minerals, 10(9), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/min10090791

MLA:

Schirmer, Thomas, et al. "Indium and antimony distribution in a sphalerite from the “burgstaetter gangzug” of the upper harz mountains pb-zn mineralization." Minerals 10.9 (2020): 1-19.

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