Advances in XRF Instrumentation

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a commonly used analytical technique with several key application areas, including oil and gas, automotive and aerospace, scrap metal recycling, mining and exploration, and others (1). This non-destructive technique determines the elemental composition of a sample by measuring the characteristic X-rays emitted from a sample (1).

A recent study published in the journal Radiation, Physics and Chemistry examined new developments in XRF instrumentation. Led by Patrick Parsons of the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center, the study evaluated two second-generation XRF analyzers equipped with Doubly Curved Crystal (DCC) optics (2). As part of the study, Parsons and his team also screened real-world herbs and spices using these analyzers, demonstrating the analyzers’ utility for rapid detection of toxic elements in food (2).

Parsons has had an extensive career studying how trace elements influence human health. Much of his research focus has been dedicated to understanding the human exposome, which is defined as the totality of human exposure from dietary, environmental, and lifestyle sources across a lifetime and their interaction with genetics and physiology (3). Parsons’ laboratory also concentrates on human biomonitoring research by using state-of-the-art atomic spectrometry, particularly inductively coupled plasma–tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS), to better understand how toxic metals from air, water, food, and consumer products accumulate in the body (3). As one of the leading centers for human biomonitoring at the Wadsworth Center, the laboratory receives major support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and validate cutting-edge inorganic mass spectrometry (MS) techniques capable of detecting trace elements in the µg/L to ng/L range (3).

In the second part of our interview with Parsons, he discusses the findings of his recent study that compared these two second-generation DCC-enabled XRF analyzers. Our conversation with Parsons also revealed what he thinks are the most significant performance advancements in XRF instrumentation.

This video clip is the second part of our conversation with Parsons as part of our coverage of the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry. To stay up to date on our coverage of the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, click here.

References

1. Ask a Staff Scientist, What is XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) and How Does it Work? Thermo Fisher Scientific. Available at: https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/ask-a-scientist/what-is-xrf-x-ray-fluorescence-and-how-does-it-work/ (accessed 2026-01-09).
2. Johnson-Restrepo, B.; Blain, E.; Judd, C.; et al. New Developments in Monochromatic Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Instrumentation for Monitoring Toxic Elements in Food Matrices: Advantages and Limitations. Rad. Phys. Chem. 2025, 234, 112749. DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2025.112749
3. Wadsworth Center, Patrick J. Parsons, PhD. NY State Department of Health. Available at: https://www.wadsworth.org/senior-staff/patrick-parsons (accessed 2025-01-07).