{"id":3139,"date":"2026-06-24T16:13:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/wiki\/edx-energy-dispersive-x-ray-spectroscopy\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T16:13:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:13:02","slug":"edx-energy-dispersive-x-ray-spectroscopy","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/glossary\/edx-energy-dispersive-x-ray-spectroscopy\/","title":{"rendered":"EDX (Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Definition:<\/strong> EDX is an analytical method for determining the elemental composition of materials by means of characteristic X-ray radiation. It is mostly used in combination with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The method enables a spatially resolved qualitative and semi-quantitative elemental analysis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practical relevance:<\/strong> EDX serves to identify alloying elements, foreign particles, <a class=\"tc-inlink\" href=\"\/en\/corrosion-consulting-and-testing\/\">corrosion<\/a> products or coating compositions. The detection limit is typically around 0.1-1 wt.-%, depending on the element and the detector system. Results are presented as a spectrum or element mapping. Limitations exist for light elements (e.g. H, He) and for very thin layers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Decision-making perspectives:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Technical decision-makers:<\/strong> Verification of material compositions and root cause analysis in cases of failure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Purchasing\/project management:<\/strong> Verification of alloys or <a class=\"tc-inlink\" href=\"\/en\/materials-engineering\/coating-technology-processes-and-applications\/\">coatings<\/a> conforming to specification.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Science:<\/strong> Combination with EBSD or WDX for in-depth microstructure and phase analysis.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insurance\/law:<\/strong> Documented elemental analysis to preserve evidence in the event of material deviations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Typical testing or verification methods:<\/strong> SEM-EDX analysis, point analysis, line scan, element distribution mapping.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FAQ:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Can EDX determine the exact chemical composition?<\/li>\n<li>EDX generally provides a semi-quantitative analysis; for high-precision determinations, supplementary methods are required.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[],"class_list":["post-3139","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/3139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=3139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}