Spectroscopic studies are a tool used in many fields of science to identify materials and gain insight into their physical and chemical properties. As part of recently published research carried out at NCBJ, detection limits of spectroscopic studies have been set for copper and silver alloys, as part of validation tests of analytical methods.

Spectroscopy is the scientific field that studies the radiation spectra produced by the interaction of matter with electromagnetic radiation or other particles. In many spectroscopic techniques, such as X-ray spectroscopy, bombarding a sample with a beam of radiation leads to electrons being knocked out of the inner atomic shells. When the resulting gap is filled by an electron from a higher energy shell, the excess energy can be emitted in the form of radiation with an element-specific energy. Thus, spectroscopy makes it possible to identify the elemental composition and to study the physical and chemical properties of materials. Spectral analysis plays a key role in many scientific fields such as astrophysics, plasma physics, materials science, archaeometry, geology and even medicine.

Analytical methods play a key role in scientific research, but before they can be used, they must undergo appropriate validation, i.e. experimental confirmation of their reliability. This process involves determining the precision of the results relative to the real values, assessing their repeatability and establishing detection limits. Only a properly validated analytical method can provide a sound basis for further research.

Method validation is particularly important in spectroscopy, where the precision of measurements and knowledge of detection limits play a key role in the interpretation of results. In the recently published paper "Validation of Analytical Methods and Detection Limits in Spectroscopic Measurements of Ag-Cu Alloys", dr Aneta Gójska from the NCBJ's Particle Acceleration Physics &Technology Division conducted a study of the detection limits of copper and silver in alloys with varying contents of these elements.

Analyses were performed using two X-ray fluorescence methods: Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) and Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF). Measurements of copper-silver alloys with different contents of these elements allowed the determination of detection limits based on standard parameters such as the Lower Limit of Detection (LLD). The LLD defines the minimum amount of an element that can be detected with a statistical confidence of 95%.

The study made it possible to compare the detection limits obtained by different methods and their dependence on the chemical composition of the alloy. The precise analysis of these dependencies provides new insights into the spectroscopic study of complex metal alloys, which is of crucial importance both in materials science and in many industrial processes.

The full study results are available in the publication: A. M. Gójska, Validation of analytical methods and detection limits in spectroscopic measurements of Ag–Cu alloys, Radiation Physics and Chemistry, Volume 229, 2025, 112482, ISSN 0969-806X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2024.112482