The spectrometer - a high-powered 200 W Supermini benchtop system - builds on previous technology to bring to the forefront a machine that provides the benefits of the larger WDXRF machines at a greatly reduced cost, with simplified installation.
Low levels of detection and exceptional energy resolution are the trademarks of the wavelength dispersive XRF (WDXRF) technique.
Traditional high-powered, 'big iron' WDXRF spectrometers provide the ultimate in lower limit of detection and energy resolution, but have a high cost of ownership and a relatively specialised installation requirement.
The Supermini, produced by Rigaku Americas, boasts rapid, high-sensitivity, non-destructive analysis of elements from fluorine (F) through uranium (U) in solids, liquids, powders, and thin films.
Measurements from fluorine to uranium are possible under vacuum or helium environments making the Supermini highly flexible.
The spectrometer comes standard with a 12-position sample changer for simple, automated operation.
As with all Rigaku benchtop WDXRF systems the Supermini contains all the special software features available in the other members of Rigaku's ZSX series.
In addition, data processing is powerful and simple, using Rigaku's trademark flowbar interface for both quantitative and qualitative analysis.
The sensitivity derived from the 200 W source makes the Supermini ideal for applications in metals, cement, environmental, and regulatory compliance where extra low levels of detection are required.
This machine has the added benefit of an easy installation process of this benchtop type.
Cooling water and liquid nitrogen is not required as is normally needed for machines of this capability.
Over the past 30 years, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) has become the elemental technique to determine parts-per-million to percentage concentration levels in various solid materials including metals, ores, rocks, glasses, powders, plastics, ceramics, and foodstuffs.
WDXRF has significant advantages, including superior spectral resolution (up to 10 times better for some elements), superior performance for light elements (B to Cl), and the ability to determine major concentrations of elements without risking saturation of the detectors.
Rigaku's achievement in essentially miniaturising this technology into a benchtop package means laboratories now have a genuine alternative to the traditional wet chemical methods.
The use of WDXRF technology on the benchtop translates into a significant reduction in the overall cost of analysis, as no complex, labour-intensive wet chemistry procedures are required.
The other major benefit of the WDXRF technique is that in addition to conventional quantitative analysis using suitable calibration standards, the technique is able to analyze various types of materials in which no matching standards are available, or where the calibration procedures are time-consuming and expensive.
This feature means the higher performance and better capabilities of WDXRF are helping to push the analytical boundaries traditionally associated with the XRF technique.