Preparation of samples for PIXE analysis follows standard procedures in ord
er to present a smooth, uniform surface for microscopic investigation and a
nalysis. Reports on the quality of the surface preparation are scant. We re
port on investigations of preparation of metallic samples for micro-probe a
nalysis. These samples are metal strips of typically 0.5 mm width and 10-15
mm length, sandwiched between natural pyrite crystals and quartz glass, mo
unted in epoxy resin. The surface was polished using diamond abrasives. The
smearing of metallic Ag, Au and Cu was investigated and was found to be mo
st prevalent for Cu, but also clearly detectable for Ag and Au. The potenti
al influence of beam halo and beam scattering in the resin mount appears to
be negligible, but the results imply additional, as yet unidentified, fact
ors besides smearing to explain all observations. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science
B.V. All rights reserved.