Gamma absorption technique in elemental analysis of composite materials

Expressions for calculating the elemental concentrations of composite materials based on a gamma absorption technique are derived. These expressions provide quantitative information about elemental concentrations of materials. Calculations are carried out for estimating the concentrations of copper and gold in some alloys of bronze and gold. The method was also applied for estimating the concentrations of some heavy elements in a water matrix highlighting the differences with photon attenuation measurements. Theoretical mass attenuation coefficient values were obtained using the WinXCom program. A high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry based on high purity germanium detector (HPGe) was employed to measure the attenuation of a strongly collimated monoenergetic gamma beam through samples.

► Application of gamma-ray absorption technique in elemental analysis.
► Determination of elemental composition of some bronze and gold alloys.
► Determination of some heavy elements in water.