Experimental comparison of photon‐and particle‐induced X‐ray emission analysis of air particulate matter

Abstract

Abstract Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence analysis (XES) using secondary fluorescers of Ti and Mo is compared with particle‐induced X‐ray emission analysis (PIXE) using protons of 2.3 MeV and 5.0 MeV for the analysis of air particulate matter. Experimental detection limits are derived from the analysis of an impactor sample collected on Whatman‐41, Millipore AAWP, and 0.4 μm Nuclepore filters and from the analysis of an impactor sample on a Mylar foil from stage 4 in a 5‐stage single orifice cascade impactor. The detection limits are compared using the criterion of equal number of counts in the spectra. PIXE is shown to give about three times lower detection limits for the filter samples and about 30 times lower limits for the impactor sample. The conclusions to be drawn from this and other aspects on the difference between XES and PIXE in the analysis of aerosol samples are thoroughly discussed and the results are extrapolated to the analysis of other environmental samples.