ENVIRONMENTAL SEM laboratory

Room 107, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research,
University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4
Technician:  Sharon Lackie, Room 109
Phone:  (519) 253-3000 Ext. 4850 (office), Ext. 4932 (SEM Lab)
Fax:  (519) 971-3616
e-mail:  sharonl@uwindsor.ca

Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS)- X-Ray Analysis

Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), also known as X-Ray Analysis, is a very powerful tool on our SEM which allows you to identify the elements present in your sample.  You can analyze a very small spot on your sample, or a whole frame, and determine the elemental composition of the given area with high resolution and accuracy.  The EDS can operate from the Secondary Electron Image, or the Backscatter Image, and works using any mode of the microscope (High Vacuum, Low Vacuum, and Environmental Mode).  This is a useful tool for many fields of research including engineering, chemistry, geology and biology.  The method is non-destructive, fast and user-friendly.  EDS can be run  standardless, or with pre-determined standards, and provides qualitative and quantitative information about the elemental composition of your sample.

EDS analysis of pyrite in coal. 

Elemental Mapping with EDS (X-Ray Analysis)

Elemental Maps can be produced using EDS (X-Ray Analysis).  These maps use the same technology as the EDS, but collect X-Rays over a longer time, and map each element separately.  We end up with a high resolution map of the spatial distribution of each element of interest in our sample.  Each element can later be overlaid with others to determine how the elements interact within the sample.
This is very useful for geological, engineering, and chemical  samples to name a few.

Each element present in the sample below is represented by a different colour.  The Backscatter Electron Image is shown above, the elemental map is below.

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