X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

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The requested wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) represents the standard technique for non-destructive qualitative and quantitative element analysis of solid and liquid materials. Element concentrations in soils and other geomaterials are fundamental to any research, since providing estimates of nutrient stocks and the weathering state of soils, supporting the identification of minerals by X-ray diffraction, and allowing for characterization of rocks and ores, and designing new technical materials in applied geosciences. The requested instrument will be jointly used by several research groups of the Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences and of the Institute of Geosciences and Geography at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (soil sciences, mineralogy and geochemistry, petrology, and applied geology). The XRF instrument will replace an old XRF instrument in the mineralogy and geochemistry working group and contribute to the cross-institutional research infrastructure at the faculty; the joint management strategy will enable efficient use of the instrument and foster research collaborations. The XRF device is not only intended for academic research but will also be used in the education of students. Given the strongly differing nature of the materials to be analyzed, we request a versatile wavelength-dispersive XRF instrument capable to analyze elements with Z ≥ 4 (beryllium) in solid and liquid samples, thus equipped with a range of accessories for sample preparation, i.e., an electrohydraulic press to prepare pressed homogeneous pellets and equipment for preparation of fusion beads, as well as standards for the quantitative analysis of geomaterials. The wavelength-dispersive XRF instrument will complement the existing basic equipment and give us the necessary capability of precise and non-destructive determination of bulk element concentrations in geomaterials.