Application of polarized EDXRF in geochemical sample analysis and comparison with WDXRF

Abstract

Abstract An EDXRF technique with polarized (P) excitation has been introduced into geochemical analysis research in China. Preliminary work on a Spectro X‐Lab 2000 spectrometer showed that, in a total analysis time of 600 s per sample, over 30 elements can be quantified with detection limits of 0.5–30 µg g −1 , comparable to internationally published values. To test the capability of the method for practical sample analysis, about 100 unknown samples were measured. Also, a comparison of P‐EDXRF and WDXRF with respect to results and performance was made. Both methods gave satisfactory results for over 30 elements. As P‐EDXRF has the advantages of higher throughput, lower purchase price, lower running costs and full spectra collection, it is more competitive for geochemical mapping analysis whereas WDXRF is advantageous for more precise analysis. However, the relatively smaller detection area with a polarized target may present some problems when analyzing light elements in pressed pellet samples or when the samples are not homogeneous enough. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.