scholarly journals A Comprehensive Study of Three Different Portable XRF Scanners to Assess the Soil Geochemistry of An Extensive Sample Dataset

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 2490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ynse Declercq ◽  
Nele Delbecque ◽  
Johan De Grave ◽  
Philippe De Smedt ◽  
Peter Finke ◽  
...  

The assessment of soil elemental concentrations nowadays mainly occurs through conventional laboratory analyses. However, proximal soil sensing (PSS) techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry are proving to reduce analysis time and costs, and thus offer a worthy alternative to laboratory analyses. Moreover, XRF scanners are non-destructive and can be directly employed in the field. Although the use of XRF for soil elemental analysis is becoming widely accepted, most previous studies were limited to one scanner, a few samples, a few elements, or a non-diverse sample database. Here, an extensive and diverse soil database was used to compare the performance of three different XRF scanners with results obtained through conventional laboratory analyses. Scanners were used in benchtop mode with built-in soil calibrations to measure the concentrations of 15 elements. Although in many samples Cu, S, P, and Mg concentrations were up to 6, 12, 13, and 5 times overestimated by XRF, and empirical recalibration is recommended, all scanners produced acceptable results, even for lighter elements. Unexpectedly, XRF performance did not seem to depend on soil characteristics such as CaCO3 content. While performances will be worse when expanding to the field, our results show that XRF can easily be applied by non-experts to measure soil elemental concentrations reliably in widely different environments.

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heide Wrobel Nørgaard

AbstractTwo different scientific analyses-one destructive and one non-destructive-were conducted on two separate groups of bronze ornaments dating from 1500-1100 BC to investigate, amongst other traits, the metal composition of their copper-tin alloys. One group of artefacts was sampled, and polished thin sections were analysed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results from the corrosion crust of copper-tin alloys, and the change measured within the elemental composition from the bulk metal to the surface, greatly influenced the interpretation of the second data set, which was measured using a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device. The surface of corroded bronze ornaments consists mostly of copper carbonates, oxides, and chlorides. Chemical processes, such as decuprification, change the element composition in such a manner that the original alloy cannot be traced with a non-destructive method. This paper compares the results of both investigations in order to define the possibilities and limits of non-destructive XRF analyses of corroded bronze artefacts.


MRS Advances ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (39-40) ◽  
pp. 2095-2100
Author(s):  
Dongsheng Wen ◽  
Ya Xiao ◽  
Guangyi Yao ◽  
Weiqiang Zhou ◽  
Yan Qi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT One of the most important non-destructive methods for on-site analysis of bronze artifacts is portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF). However, bronze artifacts are usually heterogeneous in composition due to, among other things, the segregation of lead, which is hard to be eliminated through annealing treatments. In the present work, Cu-Sn-Pb alloys with homogenous composition and microstructure is fabricated by powder metallurgy technique. The suitability of the standard curve using Cu-Sn-Pb alloys by powder metallurgy as the standard samples for XRF on the analysis of bronze artifacts is evaluated. It is shown that this proposed method can be transferred to portable XRF to acquire accurate on-site composition information of bronze artifacts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 194 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidiro Gei ◽  
Sandrine Isnard ◽  
Peter D Erskine ◽  
Guillaume Echevarria ◽  
Bruno Fogliani ◽  
...  

Abstract New Caledonia is a global biodiversity hotspot known for its metal hyperaccumulator plants. X-ray fluorescence technology (XRF) has enabled non-destructive and quantitative determination of elemental concentrations in herbarium specimens from the ultramafic flora of the island. Specimens belonging to six major hyperaccumulator families (Cunoniaceae, Phyllanthaceae, Salicaceae, Sapotaceae, Oncothecaceae and Violaceae) and one to four specimens per species of the remaining ultramafic taxa in the herbarium were measured. XRF scanning included a total of c. 11 200 specimens from 35 orders, 96 families, 281 genera and 1484 species (1620 taxa) and covered 88.5% of the ultramafic flora. The study revealed the existence of 99 nickel hyperaccumulator taxa (65 known previously), 74 manganese hyperaccumulator taxa (11 known previously), eight cobalt hyperaccumulator taxa (two known previously) and four zinc hyperaccumulator taxa (none known previously). These results offer new insights into the phylogenetic diversity of hyperaccumulators in New Caledonia. The greatest diversity of nickel hyperaccumulators occur in a few major clades (Malphigiales and Oxalidales) and families (Phyllanthaceae, Salicaceae, Cunoniaceae). In contrast, manganese hyperaccumulation is phylogenetically scattered in the New Caledonian flora.


Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 931
Author(s):  
Julia Menne ◽  
Astrid Holzheid ◽  
Christopher Heilmann

Archaeometric investigation of ancient pottery with regard to their material composites allows insights into the material structures, production techniques and manufacturing processes. The applied methods depend on the classification of the pottery: some finds should remain unchanged for conservation reasons, other finds are less valuable or more common. While the first group cannot be destroyed for material analyses and the choice of analytical methods is limited, the latter can be investigated using destructive methods and thus can widen the spectrum of possible devices. Multi-element analyses of portable energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (portable XRF) have become important for archaeological research, as portable XRF provides a quick overview about the chemical composition of potteries and can be used in non-destructive as well as destructive ways in addition to conventional microscopic examination and petrographic thin sections. While most portable XRF analyses of solely fracture surfaces do not provide satisfying results, portable XRF analyses on pulverized samples are a cost-efficient and fast alternative to wavelength-dispersive XRF (WD-XRF). In comparison to WD-XRF, portable XRF on pulverized samples provides reliable concentration data (K, Fe, Rb, Ti, V, Y, Zn, Zr), but other elements need to be corrected. X-ray microtomography (µCT) has proven to be a non-destructive technique to derive not only the porosity of ancient pottery but also to characterize temper components and non-plastic inclusions. Hence, the µCT technique has the potential to extract valuable information needed by archaeologists, for example, to deduce details about manufacturing.


ACTA IMEKO ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasper Rikkert Plaisier ◽  
Luca Nodari ◽  
Lara Gigli ◽  
Elena Paz Rebollo San Miguel ◽  
Renzo Bertoncello ◽  
...  

<p class="Abstract"><span lang="EN-US">The MCX beamline at the synchrotron Elettra is the general purpose diffraction beamline that is well suited for non-destructive and innovative X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments in the field of cultural heritage. The experimental station houses a large number of instruments facilitating a range of different types of analysis. Recently, a comprehensive study of the alteration products in grisaille paints was performed at the beamline. This type of analysis is very important to understand the complex processes involved in the deterioration of this type of glass decoration. An exhaustive characterization of these products and so a full understanding of the mechanism of their formation may lead to the development of new protective materials for conservation and restoration. XRD experiments at the MCX beamline allowed us to recognize the alteration products on the grisailles surface and to propose a mechanism for the formation of alteration patina. Here we present the beamline, its instrumentation and its capabilities by showing an example of the study on grisaille paints. </span></p>


Author(s):  
John C. Russ ◽  
Nicholas C. Barbi

The rapid growth of interest in attaching energy-dispersive x-ray analysis systems to transmission electron microscopes has centered largely on microanalysis of biological specimens. These are frequently either embedded in plastic or supported by an organic film, which is of great importance as regards stability under the beam since it provides thermal and electrical conductivity from the specimen to the grid.Unfortunately, the supporting medium also produces continuum x-radiation or Bremsstrahlung, which is added to the x-ray spectrum from the sample. It is not difficult to separate the characteristic peaks from the elements in the specimen from the total continuum background, but sometimes it is also necessary to separate the continuum due to the sample from that due to the support. For instance, it is possible to compute relative elemental concentrations in the sample, without standards, based on the relative net characteristic elemental intensities without regard to background; but to calculate absolute concentration, it is necessary to use the background signal itself as a measure of the total excited specimen mass.


Author(s):  
A. R. Lang

AbstractX-ray topography provides a non-destructive method of mapping point-by-point variations in orientation and reflecting power within crystals. The discovery, made by several workers independently, that in nearly perfect crystals it was possible to detect individual dislocations by X-ray diffraction contrast started an epoch of rapid exploitation of X-ray topography as a new, general method for assessing crystal perfection. Another discovery, that of X-ray Pendellösung, led to important theoretical developments in X-ray diffraction theory and to a new and precise method for measuring structure factors on an absolute scale. Other highlights picked out for mention are studies of Frank-Read dislocation sources, the discovery of long dislocation helices and lines of coaxial dislocation loops in aluminium, of internal magnetic domain structures in Fe-3 wt.% Si, and of stacking faults in silicon and natural diamonds.


Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 331-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Holm ◽  
H Ekwall ◽  
GJ Wishart ◽  
Y Ridderstrale

Sperm storage tubules from the utero-vaginal junction of chickens, quails and turkeys were analysed for calcium and zinc using X-ray microanalysis of ultra-rapidly frozen tissue in a scanning electron microscope. This technique enabled the tubular fluid surrounding the stored spermatozoa and the intracellular content of the cells of the sperm storage tubules to be analysed separately and, by using standards with known concentrations, their elemental concentrations were estimated. The mean (+/- SEM) concentration of calcium in the tubular fluid from chickens, quails and turkeys was 17 +/- 3, 19 +/- 3 and 17 +/- 4 mmol kg(-1) wet weight, respectively. The intracellular calcium concentration of the cells of the tubules did not differ significantly from these values and was also similar in the mucosal epithelial cells of the utero-vaginal junction. Zinc was localized in the cells of turkey sperm storage tubules and tubular fluid, but at low concentrations. No zinc could be detected in corresponding structures from chickens and quails. The concentration of calcium in the tubular fluid is within the range known to inhibit the motility of spermatozoa, supporting this function for calcium during storage. Zinc is known to depress turkey sperm metabolism and it may also be involved in inducing quiescence of spermatozoa during storage in this species.


1983 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Salamanca-Riba ◽  
B.S. Elman ◽  
M.S. Dresselhaus ◽  
T. Venkatesan

ABSTRACTRutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) is used to characterize the stoichiometry of graphite intercalation compounds (GIC). Specific application is made to several stages of different donor and acceptor compounds and to commensurate and incommensurate intercalants. A deviation from the theoretical stoichiometry is measured for most of the compounds using this non-destructive method. Within experimental error, the RBS results agree with those obtained from analysis of the (00ℓ) x-ray diffractograms and weight uptake measurements on the same samples.


Author(s):  
Deepak Goyal

Abstract Next generation assembly/package development challenges are primarily increased interconnect complexity and density with ever shorter development time. The results of this trend present some distinct challenges for the analytical tools/techniques to support this technical roadmap. The key challenge in the analytical tools/techniques is the development of non-destructive imaging for improved time to information. This paper will present the key drivers for the non-destructive imaging, results of literature search and evaluation of key analytical techniques currently available. Based on these studies requirements of a 3D imaging capability will be discussed. Critical breakthroughs required for development of such a capability are also summarized.


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