Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS)

Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) is an analytical technique used to identify the elemental composition of materials. It works by detecting the X-rays emitted from a sample when it is bombarded with a focused electron beam, usually inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a transmission electron microscope (TEM).

Here’s a basic overview of how EDS works:

1. Electron Beam Interaction: When the electron beam strikes the sample, it knocks electrons out of the atoms in the material, creating vacancies in their electron shells.
2. X-ray Emission: To fill these vacancies, electrons from higher energy levels in the atom fall into the lower energy levels, releasing energy in the form of X-rays.
3. Energy Detection: The energy of these X-rays is characteristic of the elements present in the sample. The EDS detector captures the emitted X-rays and analyzes them to generate a spectrum.
4. Element Identification: Each peak in the spectrum corresponds to a specific element, allowing for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sample’s composition.

EDS is widely used in materials science, geology, biology, and chemistry for applications such as:

• Elemental mapping
• Characterizing surface coatings and thin films
• Identifying contaminants
• Investigating the distribution of elements in heterogeneous materials