Type: Spectroscopic point analysis
Overview
The new Portable X-ray fluorescence offered by MOLAB is designed for in-situ analyses being extremely portable, fast and completely non-destructive. It allows for a determination of the elemental composition (Z>12) of materials and is of great interest for heritage science applications particularly in the examination of all types of paintings, manuscripts, monuments and metals etc.
It is highly effective for a first hypothesis towards artist pigments identifications, specifically inorganic constituents, highlighting pentimenti, retouchings and over-paintings etc.
Technical details
The Elio portable XRF Analyzer (PXRF) is composed of a large area Silicon Drift Detector: 25mm2 XRF Detector, 130 eV at MnKα with 10 kcps input photon rate (high resolution mode), 170 eV at MnKα with 200 kcps input photon rate (fast mode). It has a fast (USB 2.0) 8k channels MCA with high resolution and high count-rate capability. Its excitation source is a transmission X-Ray generator, 5-200 μA, 10-40 kV, Rh anode with 1mm collimator filter sets. It has two pointing lasers (axial and focal), a microscope camera permitting on field adjustments on analysis. A mounting tripod (height 43-188cm) completes the set-up.
Further readings
- C. Miliani, F. Rosi, B. G. Brunetti, A. Sgamellotti, In situ Non-invasive Study of Artworks: The MOLAB Multitechnique Approach, Acc. Chem. Res., 2010, 43 (6), 728-738
- V. Capogrosso, F. Gabrieli, S. Bellei, L. Cartechini, A. Cesaratto, N. Trcera, F. Rosi, G. Valentini, D. Comelli and A. Nevin, An integrated approach based on micro-mapping analytical techniques for the detection of impurities in historical Zn-based white pigments, J. Anal. At, Spectrom., 2015, 30, 828-838
Providers
MOLAB Italy: CNR-ISTM