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Quantitative Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis of Submicrometric Particles Using a Scanning Electron Microscope

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2011

Luigi Paoletti ,
Biagio M. Bruni ,
Antonio Gianfagna ,
Simona Mazziotti-Tagliani  and
Alessandro Pacella
Luigi Paoletti
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Tecnologie e Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, V.le Regina Elena, 299 – I-00161 Roma, Italy
Biagio M. Bruni
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Tecnologie e Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, V.le Regina Elena, 299 – I-00161 Roma, Italy
Antonio Gianfagna
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, P.le A.Moro, 5 – I-00185 Roma, Italy
Simona Mazziotti-Tagliani
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, P.le A.Moro, 5 – I-00185 Roma, Italy
Alessandro Pacella*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, P.le A.Moro, 5 – I-00185 Roma, Italy
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: alessandro.pacella@uniroma1.it
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Abstract

The quantitative scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis of a horneblende and two augite prismatic samples reduced to submicrometric particles was performed, and error due to the particle effects (“absent mass” and the “reduced absorption” effect) was minimized. Correction factors as a function of fragment size were obtained for O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, and Fe. In addition, the influence of chemical composition of the samples used as standards (the matrix effect) on correction factors was evaluated. The results indicate that the absent mass effect is dominant for all elements except for the light elements O and Na, for which the reduced absorption effect is dominant. No significant matrix effect has been observed. By using corrected SEM-EDX data, the error on quantification of the element concentration has been estimated to be 3% relative for light elements and below 2% relative for heavy elements (notably, about 1% relative for Fe).

Keywords

quantitative analysisSEM-EDXsubmicrometric particlescorrection factors
Type
Microanalysis Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 17 , Issue 5 , October 2011 , pp. 710 - 717
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2011

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References

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