Rigaku
Americas Corporation is pleased to announce that the Rigaku
NANOHUNTER benchtop Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence
(TXRF) spectrometer has won the 2007 R&D 100 Award.
Presented annually for 44 years by R&D Magazine, the
R&D 100 Award is a mark of excellence known to industry,
government, and academia as proof that the winner is one of the most
innovative products of the year.
The Rigaku NANOHUNTER was specifically designed to offer
comprehensive trace element and materials characterization analysis
capabilities to a broader range of research disciplines, and in more
diverse analytical settings, than was possible with previous
technology. Whether for geologists, chemists, biochemists, biologists,
materials scientists and engineers, non-destructive trace element
analysis is attainable, with minimal to no sample preparation, for
applications that span from metallo-protein research to environmental
assessment and semiconductor wafer metrology.
Providing both trace-level elemental analysis and evaluation
of the physical nature of the sample, NANOHUNTER uses a patented*
switchable wavelength and automated variable X-ray incidence angle
excitation design. The instrument can analyze the full range of
elements, from aluminum (Al) to uranium (U), in solids, liquids, and
powders. It also provides chemical information as a function of
analysis depth for profiling surface characteristics of materials. As
an example, for researchers involved in nano-technology, this ability
allows surface layers to be characterized as particles on a substrate,
a homogenous thin film, or as something in between.
With sensitivity on par with inductively coupled plasma
optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), NANOHUNTER provides
part-per-billion (PPB) level detection limits for liquid samples in a
fully automated tool. Unlike ICP-OES, halogens—like bromine
(Br) and chlorine (Cl)—can be analyzed with high
reproducibility. Organic liquids may also be measured without sample
preparation and sample volumes as small as 50 microliters may be
analyzed.
Direct measurement of solids and powders provides freedom from
complex sample digestion or preparation and makes this spectrometer
suitable for replacing or supplementing traditional atomic spectroscopy
methods. Compared to other trace level atomic spectroscopy techniques,
the revolutionary aspect of NANOHUNTER is in the minimal level of
sample preparation required. It liberates the operator from ancillary
equipment—like fume hoods and microwave
digesters—associated with trace element analysis in a wet
laboratory environment.