Laser ablation ICP-MS investigation of solute element distributions during Al–Si solidification

During solidification of an alloy, solute elements may pile up ahead of the growing interface due to their lower solubility within the solid material, when the distribution or partition coefficient is less than unity. In this paper, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, LA-ICP-MS, as a new method, is used to analyze solute distribution within primary α-Al particles formed during solidification of hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys. The results are further compared with those obtained from electron probe micro-analysis, EPMA, of the same specimens. There is a good agreement between the results obtained by both techniques.