Episode 9 takes a closer look at the use of thin metal foils in X-ray technologies – something Goodfellow knows a thing or two about.

Podcast host Mark is joined by regular contributors Dr. Aphrodite Tomou and Adam Sells for a wide-ranging chat about the vital role thin metal foils play in generating, filtering, and detecting X-rays within analytical instruments. The discussion highlights how different metals such as aluminum, copper, silver, tungsten, and molybdenum are selected for specific applications, from acting as targets or anodes in X-ray tubes to serving as filters that precisely control X-ray wavelengths. Find out why foil thickness, purity, and homogeneity can make or break the accuracy and reliability of X-ray results.

The team also unpacks the differences between single crystal and polycrystalline materials (spoiler alert: grain boundaries matter). For those curious about how these materials are tested, they explain the characterization techniques used to assess them, including XRF (X-ray fluorescence), XRR (X-ray reflectometry), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), and EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy).

Finally, the episode covers how certified reference materials (CRMs) and reference materials (RMs), available through Goodfellow’s new companies, Swiss Technology Partners (STP) and Bureau of Analysed Samples (BAS), are used for calibration – a process that ensures measurement instruments provide accurate and reliable results by comparing their outputs to a known standard.