High-Energy Resolution Fluorescence Detected X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy for the Speciation of Fe in Aerosol Samples

Abstract

In this study, we compared the high-energy resolution X-ray fluorescence X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HERFD-XANES) and normal XANES spectra of various iron (Fe) species and Fe in atmospheric aerosol samples to explore the advantages of Fe K-edge HERFD-XANES for Fe speciation in aerosols using the linear combination fitting (LCF) of XANES spectra. We also conducted Fe extraction experiments to validate the LCF-XANES. In the HERFD-XANES spectra, the pre-edge region showed specific structures absent in normal XANES. HERFD-XANES also produced more distinctive shoulders within each spectrum than normal XANES. HERFD-XANES was applied to an aerosol sample (MT21-S2) collected in Tokyo, Japan. Normal XANES identified ferrihydrite, biotite, and montmorillonite, whereas HERFD-XANES clearly detected goethite as a fourth component. Normal XANES did not distinguish between ferrihydrite and goethite in LCF because of their similar structures. A similar trend was observed in the pre-edge region, and the Fe extraction experiment result was consistent with the LCF result in the pre-edge region. Thus, LCF of HERFD-XANES, in particular for the pre-edge region, can be a powerful tool for Fe speciation in aerosols.