Life Sciences

Elemental analysis has real applications in many disciplines. Elements can be used in materials science to discover the composition and structure of materials to make materials work better and develop new materials. In semiconductors, metal processing, polymers and so on, for instance, elemental analysis is required to maintain product quality and performance. Elemental analysis in environmental science measures the amount of contaminants in soil, water and air to determine environmental health and conceive protection strategies accordingly. Moreover, when it comes to quality control, elemental analysis is one of the primary tools used to check that the products are up to the mark and has an extensive usage in food, medical and cosmetics.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is one of the elementsal analysis methods widely adopted due to its high, non-destructive and fast nature. XRF detects the element's type and composition by measuring the intensity of secondary X-rays that are released after the sample has absorbed X-rays. This technology doesn't need elaborate sample preparation methods like acid dissolution or alkali fusion and so makes the analysis much easier.

Fundamentals of XRF
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a popular technique for measuring the elements of substances. Here is a rundown of what XRF is and what its fundamentals are, how it works, and how it differs from other elemental analysis methods.

Basic Principles
The principle of X-ray fluorescence is that X-rays bounce off the samples of atoms. If high-energy X-rays are applied to a sample, then those X-rays strike the sample's atoms. In particular, the energy of the X-rays is such that they kill the inner electrons (usually K or L shell electrons) of the atoms in the sample and leave a vacancy. These holes are filled with outgoing electrons, and the electrons re-enter the medium of high energy to low energy, exchanging energy. This energy escapes in the form of fluorescent radiation – so-called secondary X-rays (or fluorescent X-rays), whose energy spectrum correlates exactly with the excited constituent.

All elements are energy distributed differently, and by measuring the energy of these fluorescent radiations we can detect the elements in the sample. Moreover, by estimating the wavelength of these fluorescent radiations, the amount of every element in the sample can be measured quantitatively.

Created: 19 Feb 2025 08:02:57 AM