Trace elemental determination by portable total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer with low wattage X‐ray tube

Abstract

A specimen containing nanograms of Sb, rare earth elements, Pb, and Bi and a specimen containing a few nanograms each of As and Pb were measured using a portable total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Nanograms of Sb, rare earth elements, Pb, and Bi were detected. Although the As Ka line (10.54 keV) overlapped with the Pb La line (10.55 keV) in a spectrum of the specimen containing nanograms of As and Pb, the Pb Lb line was detected. Therefore, the net intensity of the As Ka line was calculated using the Pb La/Lb intensity ratio in a spectrum of a Pb standard solution and the net intensity of the Pb Lb line in the spectrum of the specimen containing As and Pb. This result indicates that these two elements can be quantified by using the portable spectrometer. Commercially available bottled drinking water was also measured. The portable spectrometer detected several tens of ppb of V in the drinking water sample.

Variation of trace elements in snow during starting and ending of snowfall in Kyoto city measured by low power total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry

“…Trace elements in snowmelt samples were measured using a low power portable TXRF spectrometer (Figure ). This instrument, OURSTEX200TX™, has been commercialized by OURSTEX Co., Ltd., Japan, after it was developed by Kyoto University . Its tungsten target tube (Moxtek Inc., USA) was operated at 25 kV and 20 μA, and the incident beam was collimated by a waveguide.…”

“…This instrument, OURSTEX200TX™, has been commercialized by OURSTEX Co., Ltd., Japan, [18,19] after it was developed by Kyoto University. [20,21] Its tungsten target tube (Moxtek Inc., USA) was operated at 25 kV and 20 μA, and the incident beam was collimated by a waveguide. Fluorescent X-ray intensities were measured by an X-123 Si-PIN photodiode detector (Amptek Inc., USA) with Peltier cooler.…”

Trace element determinations in uranium by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry using polychromatic X-ray excitation

“…[10][11][12] Such polychromatic X-rays excited TXRF has been used for trace determinations in wine, drinking water, and river water as well as for Dy determination at major concentration level in neodymium-iron-boron magnets. [13][14][15][16] However, there is no report in literature, as far as we know, for such application of polychromatic beam excitation for TXRF trace determination in real solid samples. Such approach may be beneficial for trace determinations in such real samples and needs to be assessed.…”

Study of factors affecting the results of natural water analyses by total reflection X‐ray fluorescence

“…In the past decades, most of the published TXRF investigations were performed by using stationary TXRF spectrometers such as module IAEA, TX 2000, EXTRA II, 8030C. In recent years, the different portable TXRF devices are developed, which offer extreme simplicity of operation in a low‐cost compact design . Nowadays, commercial benchtop TXRF spectrometers, e.g.…”

“…In recent years, the different portable TXRF devices are developed, which offer extreme simplicity of operation in a low-cost compact design. [23][24][25] Nowadays, commercial benchtop TXRF spectrometers, e.g. PicoTAX, S2 PICOFOX, and NanoHunter, are used in laboratories and for field investigations instead of large-scale TXRF systems with high-power X-ray tubes and liquid-nitrogen cooled detectors.…”