TY - JOUR A1 - D'Agostino, G. A1 - Bergamaschi, L. A1 - Giordani, L. A1 - Oddone, M. A1 - Kipphardt, Heinrich A1 - Richter, Silke T1 - Use of instrumental neutron activation analysis to investigate the distribution of trace elements among subsamples of solid materials JF - Metrologia N2 - The results of analytical measurements performed with solid-sampling techniques are affected by the distribution of the analytes within the matrix. The effect becomes significant in case of determination of trace elements in small subsamples. In this framework we propose a measurement model based on Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis to determine the relative variability of the amount of an analyte among subsamples of a material. The measurement uncertainty is evaluated and includes the counting statistics, the full-energy gamma peak efficiency and the spatial gradient of the neutron flux at the irradiation position. The data we obtained in a neutron activation experiment and showing the relative variability of As, Au, Ir, Sb and W among subsamples of a highly pure Rh foil are also presented. KW - Instrumental neutron activation analysis KW - Homogeneity KW - Rhodium KW - Uncertainty PY - 2014 SN - 0026-1394 SN - 1681-7575 VL - 51 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Inst. of Physics Publ. CY - Bristol AN - OPUS4-30302 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -