SpectroMembrane® Thin-Film Sample Support Carrier Frames consist of a thin-film sample support substance attached to a frame that serves as a carrier.

• No waste
• No wrinkles
• No static cling
• No contamination

In affixing a thin-film substance to an XRF Sample Cup, the thin-film material is not directly handled and a contamination possibility is completely eliminated. Nearing or at the completion of attachment, the thin-film automatically detaches from the carrier frame leaving a taut wrinkle-free sample support window.

Etnom® was the first thin-film substance to chemically resist attack by aliphatic and especially aromatic hydrocarbons and have the unique characteristic of contracting when exposed to petrochemical hydrocarbons. This unique characteristic allows the thin-film to remain taut when exposed to samples containing these hydrocarbons and maintain a consistent taut flat sample support window plane during the entire integration time of analysis. Ideally suitable for sulfur analysis in aliphatic and particularly aromatic hydrocarbons.

Mylar® thin-film was the only substance used in the XRF spectrochemical field and supplied only in roll form. With the passage of time, Chemplex® introduced the expansion of the Mylar® product line to include additional gauges and all other forms of physical presentation such as pre-cut square sheets, pre-cut circles, perforated pre-cut squares in rolls and recently in SpectroMembrane® Carrier Frames. Mylar® is a relatively good thin-film substance for general purpose aqueous sample solution containment. It has an excellent sample retention tensile strength. It is not suitable for containing aliphatic alcohols, alkalies, esters, aromatic hydrocarbons and keytones.

Prolene® thin-film is a two constituent element combination of carbon and hydrogen. The light carbon and hydrogen element constituents together with gauge thickness translate into mass attenuation coefficients providing high % Transmittance values, an advantage for investigating the less energetic (KeV) analyte spectral lines in low element concentrations. Prolene® represents a good general purpose thin-film for most chemical solution samples except for those consisting of ethers or aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons. It also is characterized with a relatively high sample retention tensile strength for safely containing samples in their sample cups.