Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy: Theory and Application in Engineering and Science

Examples of these analytical techniques for surfaces are Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ions mass spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). EDX is one of the techniques applied in electron probe X-ray microanalysis of materials. Wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS) is another technique in this category. While EDX and WDS generate a spectrum whose peaks correspond to specific X-ray lines to identify elements, a significant difference exists in the efficiency and application of these two methods. The energy of the X-rays emitted from a specimen can be measured by an energy dispersive spectrometer. Application of EDX as a technique for qualitative and quantitative analysis has been found in the analysis of varieties of materials in organic and inorganic synthesis, metallurgical and material engineering, catalysis engineering, environmental science, archaeological studies, medical research, pharmaceutical, and membrane synthesis. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; auger electron spectroscopy; electron energy-loss spectroscopy; energy-dispersive spectroscopy; engineering; environmental science; secondary ions mass spectroscopy; wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy