Analytical Methods for High-Purity Quartz: A Review

High-purity quartz (HPQ) is a critical material for advanced technological applications and is essential to the global transition towards net-zero emissions. The stringent purity requirements of HPQ necessitate specialist analytical methods capable of detecting trace-level contaminants and characterising impurity distribution within the quartz matrix. This review provides a comprehensive overview of analytical techniques employed for HPQ assessment, categorised into field-portable screening tools, bulk chemical analyses, mineralogical and structural characterisation, in situ microanalysis, and advanced specialised methods. We systematically compare these approaches, discussing their principles, capabilities, and limitations, and emphasise the importance of integrating bulk and microanalytical strategies to accurately evaluate impurity deportment and suitability for high-end applications. To support decision making, this review compares indicative analytical costs and outlines staged characterisation approaches that align analytical effort with project objectives and maturity. By addressing gaps in previous literature, this synthesis offers guidance for selecting and sequencing analytical workflows tailored to HPQ characterisation and downstream processing requirements.