Energy dispersive

Figure Bl.24.14. A schematic diagram of x-ray generation by energetic particle excitation, (a) A beam of energetic ions is used to eject inner-shell electrons from atoms in a sample, (b) These vacancies are filled by outer-shell electrons and the electrons make a transition in energy in moving from one level to another this energy is released in the fomi of characteristic x-rays, the energy of which identifies that particular atom. The x-rays that are emitted from the sample are measured witli an energy dispersive detector.

An alternative type of spectrometer is the energy dispersive spectrometer which dispenses with a crystal dispersion element. Instead, a type of detector is used which receives the undispersed X-ray fluorescence and outputs a series of pulses of different voltages that correspond to the different wavelengths (energies) that it has received. These energies are then separated with a multichannel analyser. 

An energy dispersive spectrometer is cheaper and faster for multielement analytical purposes but has poorer detection limits and resolution. 

A scanning electron microscope can also be equipped with additional instmmentation for electron-excited x-ray analysis (9). In many systems, this is performed in the mode known as energy dispersive x-ray analysis (edx). Other common acronyms for this method are eds for energy dispersive spectroscopy or edax for energy dispersive analysis of x-rays. 

Chemical analysis of the metal can serve various purposes. For the determination of the metal-alloy composition, a variety of techniques has been used. In the past, wet-chemical analysis was often employed, but the significant size of the sample needed was a primary drawback. Nondestmctive, energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry is often used when no high precision is needed. However, this technique only allows a surface analysis, and significant surface phenomena such as preferential enrichments and depletions, which often occur in objects having a burial history, can cause serious errors. For more precise quantitative analyses samples have to be removed from below the surface to be analyzed by means of atomic absorption (82), spectrographic techniques (78,83), etc. 

Elemental chemical analysis provides information regarding the formulation and coloring oxides of glazes and glasses. Energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry is very convenient. However, using this technique the analysis for elements of low atomic numbers is quite difficult, even when vacuum or helium paths are used. The electron-beam microprobe has proven to be an extremely useful tool for this purpose (106). Emission spectroscopy and activation analysis have also been appHed successfully in these studies (101). 

The two most useful supplementary techniques for the light microscope are EDS and FTIR microscopy. Energy dispersed x-ray systems (EDS) and Eourier-transform infrared absorption (ETIR) are used by chemical microscopists for elemental analyses (EDS) of inorganic compounds and for organic function group analyses (ETIR) of organic compounds. Insofar as they are able to characterize a tiny sample microscopically by PLM, EDS and ETIR ensure rapid and dependable identification when appHed by a trained chemical microscopist. 

Energy dispersive spectrometers can, in general, collect the spectmm faster and are less expensive than the more sophisticated wavelength dispersive spectrometers. However, they do not have the resolution and cannot separate closely spaced lines as easily as the wavelength dispersive spectrometers. 

Both the wavelength dispersive and energy dispersive spectrometers are well suited for quaUtative analysis of materials. Each element gives on the average only six emission lines. Because the characteristic x-ray spectra are so simple, the process of allocating atomic numbers to the emission lines is relatively simple and the chance of making a gross error is small. 

Asbestos fiber identification can also be achieved through transmission or scanning electron microscopy (tern, sem) techniques which are especially usefiil with very short fibers, or with extremely small samples (see Microscopy). With appropriate peripheral instmmentation, these techniques can yield the elemental composition of the fibers using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence, or the crystal stmcture from electron diffraction, selected area electron diffraction (saed). 

FiaaHy, ia method (4) the fabric is padded with a mixture of medium energy disperse dyes, carehiUy selected higher reactivity, and rapid diffusiag fiber-reactive dyes, up to 10 g/L sodium bicarbonate depending on depth of shade, and proprietary auxiHary agents. 

In both these continuous processes medium to high energy disperse dyes should be used to avoid the risk of dye subliming to contaminate the atmosphere of the fixation unit and then staining the print by vapor-phase dyeing, or to produce a loss of definition of the printed mark due to diffusion from the appHed thickened paste. 

Benchtop X-ray energy dispersive analyzer BRA-17-02 based on a gas-filled electroluminescent detector with an x-ray tube excitation and range of the elements to be determined from K (Z=19) to U (Z=92) an electroluminescent detector ensures two times better resolution compared with traditional proportional counters and possesses 20 times greater x-ray efficiency compared with semiconductor detectors. The device is used usually for grits concentration determination when analysing of aviation oils (certified analysis procedures are available) and in mining industry. 

Portable x-ray energy dispersive sulphur in oil analyser ASE-1 with measurement range 0.015 - 5% and a detection limit near 0.001%. SPARK-1-2M, BRA-17-02 and ASE-1 have been certified as measuring... 

Development of a benchtop energy dispersive analyser BRA-18 is carrying out which is based on Si-drift detector and x-ray tube with side window range of the elements to be determined is extended from Mg to U. The distinctive feature of the device is that a specimen to be analysed is placed in the open air. 

These samples were measured non-destructively by energy-dispersive XRF with synclirotron radiation excitation (SYXRS), by g-XRF, by wavelength-dispersive XRF (WDXRS), and by Rutherford back scattering (RBS), by X-ray reflectometry (XRR) and by destructive secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) as well (both last methods were used for independant comparison). 

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