MatX Lab uses the right elemental method to verify an alloy, identify an unknown, quantify trace contamination, or confirm purity. The work answers the most basic and most consequential materials question: what is this actually made of?
What a material is made of determines almost everything about it, and a trace of impurity can change behavior as much as a major alloying element. Elemental analysis measures composition and purity, from bulk concentrations down to parts per billion. MatX Lab uses the right elemental method to verify an alloy, identify an unknown, quantify trace contamination, or confirm purity. The work answers the most basic and most consequential materials question: what is this actually made of?
Different methods serve the purpose of different needs: plasma spectrometry measures major to trace elements in solution, glow discharge and X-ray fluorescence analyze solids directly, electron-beam methods tie composition to a specific microscopic feature, and combustion methods measure light elements. Together they span from bulk major elements to ultra-trace impurities. Elemental analysis determines which elements are present in a material and in what amounts.
Elemental work depends on the elements, the concentration range, and the sample form, and we scope the right method. Each technique below links to its own page.
Measures trace and ultra-trace elements down to parts per billion. It is the method for high-sensitivity impurity and contamination work.
Measures major and minor elements across a wide concentration range, for composition and verification of metals, solutions, and digested solids.
Provides ultra-trace bulk analysis of solids, especially high-purity metals and semiconductor materials where impurities are measured at very low levels.
Delivers rapid, often non-destructive elemental analysis for composition screening, alloy verification, and coating thickness.
Provides elemental analysis and mapping in the electron microscope, tying composition to a specific feature or defect.
Measures carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, the light elements that strongly affect metals and are invisible to many other methods.
Provides fast elemental screening and sorting, including light elements, useful for quick identification and comparison.
Elemental analysis is the right method whenever composition, purity, or contamination is the question.
Elemental analysis applies to nearly every material and sector, because composition underlies everything.
Materials: Metals & Alloys · Ceramics & Glass · Battery Materials · Nanomaterials · Powders & Bulk Solids · Thin Films & Coatings
Industries: Metals & Metalworking · Aerospace · Semiconductors · Energy · Manufacturing · Advanced Materials
Elemental testing is method-driven, and your specification usually names the standard. Where an applicable standard exists, testing is aligned to it and cited in your report. We align to the method your specification requires and document it.
| Analysis / Standard | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| LA-ICP-MS | Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry |
| ICP | Inductively Coupled Plasma |
| ICP-MS & ICP-OES | ICP / OES / AAS Elemental Analysis |
| ICP-OES | Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy |
| ETV-ICP-OES | Electrothermal Vaporization ICP Optical Emission Spectroscopy |
| GD-MS | Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry |
| TXRF | Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence |
| ASTM D7536 | Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry |
| ASTM D6130 | Silicon by Inductively Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectroscopy |
| IEC 62321 | RoHS Compliance Screening by XRF & GC-MS |
| ASTM B568 | Coating Thickness Measurement by XRF |
| ASTM E539 | Titanium Alloys by X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry |
| ASTM E3269 | Particle-Bound Gold Mass Fraction in Colloidal Gold Suspensions |
| ASTM E322 | Low-Alloy Steels and Cast Irons by Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray |
| ASTM E3047 | Nickel Alloys by Spark Atomic Emission Spectrometry |
Yes. Elemental analysis identifies the elements present and their amounts, the core of material is Elemental analysis identifies the elements present and their amounts identification. Combined with structural or spectroscopic methods, it builds a full composition picture for an unknown metal, powder, or contaminant.
ICP-MS and GD-MS reach parts-per-billion and lower for many elements, which is what high-purity and contamination work requires. We select the method that reaches the level your specification needs. So, it depends on the element and the matrix.
Yes. EDS and WDS in the electron microscope measure composition at a chosen feature and map it across an area, which is essential in failure analysis and contamination work where location matters.
MatX Lab sends each elemental method to the accredited partner laboratory that is best suited to do it, so that trace, bulk, and microanalysis run under one program, one contact, and one report. Methods are aligned to ASTM, ISO, IEC, UL, and MIL-STD where a published and well known method applies. Most importantly, MatX Lab is an analysis provider, not a standards body, so it issues no certifications. Every engagement can sit under an NDA.
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