Do You Need Certified Reference Materials For XRF Applications?
Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) are controls or standards used in laboratories to validate analytical measurement methods, check product quality, or support equipment calibration. CRMs are an essential part of any analysis, testing or validation, and they are most often required to ensure laboratories meet stringent standards. However, there is another alternative if certified reference materials are not available. In this blog post, we will be looking at whether certified reference materials are a requirement for XRF applications.
What Are Certified Reference Materials?
Certified reference materials are used in laboratories worldwide to ensure the highest quality and safety in both instruments and products. You will often hear the terms certified reference materials (CRMs), standard reference materials (SRMs) and reference materials (RMs) but it is important to note that they should not be used interchangeably.
- Certified reference material (CRM)1: CRMs are ‘reference materials characterized by a metrologically valid procedure for one or more specified properties, accompanied by a certificate that provides the value of the specified property, its associated uncertainty, and a statement of metrological traceability.’
- Standard reference material (SRM): SRMs are different from CRMs and RMs because they are reference materials that meet additional certification criteria set by NIST. An SRM will come with a certificate and information on how to use the material correctly.
- Reference materials (RM): ISO 17034 defines an RM as ‘Material, sufficiently homogeneous and stable concerning one or more specified properties, which has been established to be fit for its intended use in a measurement process.’
Traceability is an increasing issue, and CRMs support analysts in quality control and help to provide reassurance that products are safe and meet required standards. Unfortunately, CRMs can often be costly and difficult to acquire, which is why some other options are available for quality assurance, calibration and process control.
Certified Reference Materials For XRF Applications
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is used to map elemental compositions of a sample accurately by analysing extremely weak fluorescent signals within a spectrometry sample chamber. The equipment used for this process must provide a high level of accuracy as well as outstanding long-term stability to guarantee that test results remain with set parameters deemed acceptable. The equipment and parameters can be monitored by using reference materials.
As mentioned above, if CRMs are not available there are still other options. In this case, reference materials that have been produced by certified reference material manufacturers could be suitable for your applications. In this section, we are focusing specifically on XRF applications.
XRF Scientific has manufactured many reference materials designed specifically for XRF sample preparation and instrument calibration. Even without the certification, if manufactured through years of experience and a reputable, certified reference material manufacturer, reference materials can be used to evaluate test procedures accurately, calibrate equipment and ensure guidelines are met.
Solutions With XRF Scientific
By choosing a manufacturer that is certified and experienced in producing reference materials, you can still ensure you are using materials that will support the validation of analytical methods and the quality and traceability of a sample. XRF Scientific has been manufacturing products for XRF since 1972, and we pride ourselves on our expansive knowledge, high-quality products and our customer service.
Our range of products includes the following:
Fused Calibration Beads
Our fused calibration beads are available in both single and multi-element standards. They are manufactured from CRMs and can be customised to suit your calibration and analytical requirements.
Certified Reference Materials
Certified reference materials are laboratory standards used for quality control and quality assurance. They are typically used for analysis by fire assay or aqua regia digest by exploration companies, miners and laboratories.
Synthetic Iron Ore Reference Materials
An ideal solution for accurately calculating the composition of your iron ore samples. With years of experience in geological chemistry, our synthetic compound products are manufactured specifically to calibrate XRF spectrometers.
If you would like further information on our reference materials for XRF applications or any of our other products, please contact us today, and we will be happy to help.
References:
- SRM Definitions. NIST. Available at: https://www.nist.gov/srm/srm-definitions
