Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Building X, Mawson Lakes Campus, Mawson Lakes, South Australia 5095, Australia.
Anal Bioanal Chem. 2011 Jun;400(6):1637-44. doi: 10.1007/s00216-011-4829-2. Epub 2011 Mar 11.
Environmental samples are extremely diverse but share a tendency for heterogeneity and complexity. This heterogeneity poses methodological challenges when investigating biogeochemical processes. In recent years, the development of analytical tools capable of probing element distribution and speciation at the microscale have allowed this challenge to be addressed. Of these available tools, laterally resolved synchrotron techniques such as X-ray fluorescence mapping are key methods for the in situ investigation of micronutrients and inorganic contaminants in environmental samples. This article demonstrates how recent advances in X-ray fluorescence detector technology are bringing new possibilities to environmental research. Fast detectors are helping to circumvent major issues such as X-ray beam damage of hydrated samples, as dwell times during scanning are reduced. They are also helping to reduce temporal beamtime requirements, making particularly time-consuming techniques such as micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) tomography increasingly feasible. This article focuses on μXRF mapping of nutrients and metalloids in environmental samples, and suggests that the current divide between mapping and speciation techniques will be increasingly blurred by the development of combined approaches.
环境样本极其多样，但具有异质性和复杂性的趋势。这种异质性给研究生物地球化学过程带来了方法学上的挑战。近年来，能够探测微观尺度上元素分布和形态的分析工具的发展，使得这一挑战得以解决。在这些可用的工具中，横向分辨同步辐射技术，如 X 射线荧光映射，是原位研究环境样本中微量元素和无机污染物的关键方法。本文展示了 X 射线荧光探测器技术的最新进展如何为环境研究带来新的可能性。快速探测器有助于解决水合样品的 X 射线光束损伤等主要问题，因为扫描期间的停留时间减少了。它们还有助于减少时间上的束时需求，使得像微 X 射线荧光（μXRF）断层扫描这样特别耗时的技术变得越来越可行。本文重点介绍了环境样本中营养物质和类金属的 μXRF 映射，并提出，随着综合方法的发展，目前在映射和形态分析技术之间的划分将越来越模糊。
