摘要 |
A highly preferred container for ashable material, which material is to be ashed by heat in an ashing furnace, while it is in such container, especially when such container is to be heated by microwave radiation onto microwave absorptive elements of the furnace, which thereby heat the container, is a heat resistant, walled container which is light weight, microwave transmissive, porous and air transmissive, which is of quartz microfibers that are held in desired walled container form, preferably in substantially flat cylindrical form. Such a container may be made by shaping a heat resistant, light weight, microwave transmissive and porous non-woven sheet of quartz microfibers to container form and heating and curing such sheet in such form, preferably after moistening it with water, whereby a form-retaining container results that can be successfully employed to hold ashable samples to be ashed for analysis during microwave powered ashings of such samples. The described containers may also be made by formation directly from the quartz microfibers, followed by sintering thereof to a form retaining article. Although pure quartz microfibers are preferred for the described containers they may contain or may be made of borosiliate glass, in which case their microwave transmission and high temperature stability can be decreased.
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