I have detrital mica separates that I would like to mount in EpoThin resin for microprobe analysis and I would simply like to know the best method for mounting them. With zircons you can mount on double sided tape and then simply pour the resin over them. But with micas I am worried that they will not peel away easily from the tape once the resin has cured. I am also concerned about polishing them. Any advice would be much appreciated.
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$\begingroup$ Isn't the question more appropriate for the Biology.SE? $\endgroup$– daniel.heydebreckCommented Jun 30, 2016 at 15:21
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1$\begingroup$ @daniel.neumann Thank you for the interest and suggestion but I am not sure I understand why you think this is more related to the biological sciences. Detrital micas and detrital zircons are commonly used in sedimentary provenance studies and, certainly with zircons, they are mounted in epoxy resin for analysis by LA-ICP-MS. $\endgroup$– TonCommented Jun 30, 2016 at 15:52
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$\begingroup$ Sorry ... . They sounded like names of bateria or algae. $\endgroup$– daniel.heydebreckCommented Jun 30, 2016 at 16:12
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1$\begingroup$ No problem! White mica (or muscovite) is a K-Al phyllosilicate (sheet silicate). Zircon is a highly refractory zirconium nesosilicate. Both are used extensively in geochronology and sediment provenance studies. $\endgroup$– TonCommented Jul 1, 2016 at 8:39
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2$\begingroup$ If they're flat, you might not even need to polish them. Anyway, i just sprinkle them on the tape, then add the epoxy on top. I don't think orientation is important $\endgroup$– GimelistCommented Jul 1, 2016 at 12:34
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I had asked the same question on ResearchGate and got some good feedback. So anyone who is interested in this kind of methodology can follow the link below.
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_best_way_to_mount_white_mica_separates