LAUSR

Energy-dispersive spectroscopy of X-ray (EDS) is a widely used analytical technique attached to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for the elemental or chemical characterization of a sample, which, when combined with the morphological information from secondary electron (SE) and/or backscattered electron (BSE) images (Figures 1a & 2a), is an effective approach to characterize materials in terms of chemistry and morphology. The SEM-EDS analysis is commonly presented as qualitative or quantitative elemental results in a spectrum, a table of element wt% or at%, or an X-ray linescan or map of a specific element. An X-ray map or image of an individual element elucidates the two-dimensional distributions of the specific element mapped across a well-polished sample surface (Figures 1b to 1c & 2b to 2c). We here introduce a new type of EDS image based on the total intensity of all X-rays (Figures 1d & 2d) and its applications in imaging mouse’s femoral epiphysis and incisor tooth samples.