Principles and applications of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis with polarized radiation

An X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device using polarizing X-rays for trace element analysis of rocks, soils, sewage sludges, ashes and other related materials is described. During a measuring time of 20 min, 40 elements (19⩽Z⩽92) can be determined with high precision with detection limits between 15 and 0.3 µg g–1. The ratio of the net counts from a line of the observed elements to the counts of a Compton-scattered line or Bremsstrahlung is used for matrix correction. Eighty-six international reference samples encompassing a wide range of rock, sewage sludge, coal fly ash and soil compositions were used to set up calibrations. Comparison of the energy-dispersive XRF-measured data for a wide range of reference samples showed very good agreement with the certified values. Investigations of the long-term precision and accuracy of the results showed the high quality of the results obtained with the proposed XRF technique.