Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS or EDX) is a chemical microanalysis technique used in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). (See Handbook section on SEM.) The EDS technique detects x-rays emitted from the sample during bombardment by an electron beam to characterize the elemental composition of the analyzed volume. Features or phases as small as 1 µm or less can be analyzed.
Fields of application
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Cultural heritage
art, painting, textile
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Natural heritage
mineral
Materials
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inorganic
stone, metal, pigment, plastic, soil
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organic
wood, paper, textiles
TOOLS
The Jeol JSM-IT500LA is a variable pressure scanning electron microscope equiped with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The instrument uses a tungsten filament and can yield high quality images of inorganic and organic materials and at variable accelerating voltages from 30 kev to 1 keV. Gold and carbon coating is available.