INAA and TXRF for characterization of selected elements in plant leaves sample

Leaves as a part of a plant are inevitably important to produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Several elements like calcium (Ca), potassium (K), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) are involved in plant growth. The deficiency of those elements in plants is making them more susceptible to disease. Thus, the evaluation of elements in plant leaves becomes indispensable. However, the elements’ quantification might be challenging due to the presence of organic substances. Consequently, a sensitive, multielement, low-limit detection and matrix-independent nuclear analytical technique (NAT) such as instrumental nuclear activation analysis (INAA) and Total Reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) are applied to overcome the aforementioned purpose. In INAA method, the dried leaves samples were prepared in a small polyethylene vial and irradiated by neutrons in TRIGA 2000 reactor at 500 kW for 1min (short-irradiation) and ±67 h (medium to long irradiation). The samples were then cooled down and counted using an HPGe detector. Characteristic delayed gamma (γ) energy for each element was analyzed by Genie software. Meanwhile, in TXRF, leaves samples were prepared as a suspension, then deposited on siliconized quartz, resulting in a thin-layer sample, then irradiated by x-ray using 50 kV molybdenum (Mo) anode, and counted by SDD detector. The particular x-ray energy of each element was analyzed using TEsprit software. The result presented that either INAA or TXRF were valid and had a good performance in quantifying short-lived (Ca, Mn), medium-lived (K), and long-lived (Fe, and Zn) elements. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between INAA and TXRF results. So, when rapid element determination is required, TXRF can complement and support the INAA, especially for short-lived elements like Ca and Mn that require a specific pneumatic system in INAA. This study indicates that the combination of both methods is promising for Ca, K, Mn, Fe, and Zn quantification.