New Advances in Macro X-ray Fluorescence Applications

A special issue of Quantum Beam Science (ISSN 2412-382X). This special issue belongs to the section "Spectroscopy Technique".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2024 | Viewed by 3987

Special Issue Editor

ELI Beamlines, FZU—Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Za Radnicí 835, 25241 Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic
Interests: XRF spectrometers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The most common application of macro-X-ray fluorescence imaging is on Cultural Heritage artifacts. The first application was on a painting in 2008 using a synchrotron radiation source. Today, commercial and state-of-the-art portable XRF spectrometers can perform macro-XRF imaging in a continuous mode on large surfaces. The technique is frequently used for the characterization of pigments on paintings, scrolls, works on paper, and more recently on ancient wall paintings polychromies. Moreover, MA-XRF imaging has succeeded in many cases in re-visualizing an overpainted image or revealing iconographic elements that are either invisible to the naked eye or illegible due to their bad state of conservation.

The distribution of metals inside the biological samples, although exceptionally low, is of high importance in chemical, biochemical, and pharmaceutical studies. The application of synchrotron radiation macro-XRF imaging has proven to be an asset due to the high spectral brightness, which is many orders of magnitude higher than any X-ray source.

Finally, macro-XRF is successfully employed in forensic science to detect human biological traces based on specific elemental signatures and for the chemical imaging and classification of gunshot residues.

Dr. Vasiliki Kantarelou
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 3408 KiB  
Article
Investigating Brazilian Paintings from the 19th Century by MA-XRF
by André Pimenta, Valter Felix, Matheus Oliveira, Miguel Andrade, Marcelo Oliveira and Renato Freitas
Quantum Beam Sci. 2023, 7(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/qubs7010009 - 08 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1796
Abstract
In this work, four artworks dating from the 19th century by Brazilian painters Firmino Monteiro, Henrique Bernardelli, and Eliseu Visconti were analyzed by MA-XRF. Pb-L, Fe-K, and Hg-L were the main elemental maps obtained in all paintings. In the artworks of Henrique Bernardelli [...] Read more.
In this work, four artworks dating from the 19th century by Brazilian painters Firmino Monteiro, Henrique Bernardelli, and Eliseu Visconti were analyzed by MA-XRF. Pb-L, Fe-K, and Hg-L were the main elemental maps obtained in all paintings. In the artworks of Henrique Bernardelli and Eliseu Visconti, maps of Cr-K and Co-K were also obtained. These results indicate that these Brazilian painters from the 19th century used few pigments to create their paintings, with the different hues coming mainly from ocher pigments. Using correlation image methods, no intentional mixtures of pigments made by the painters were found. These results indicate that the three painters used similar materials and techniques for preparing their pigments. These similarities are confirmed through statistical analysis by non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). In this method, it was possible to verify that the main bases of the contribution of the data registered in each artwork are the same. The analysis also revealed that one of Eliseu Visconti’s paintings had an underlying painting, and another artwork by Eliseu Visconti contained a golden pigment with Cu and Zn. These results have helped art historians and conservators understand the creation process of Brazilian artists in the 19th century. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Macro X-ray Fluorescence Applications)
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10 pages, 5051 KiB  
Brief Report
Cable Robots as Conventional Linear Stage Alternatives for the Investigation of Complex-Shaped Objects via Macroscopic X-ray Fluorescence Imaging
by Matthias Alfeld, Philipp Tempel and Volkert van der Wijk
Quantum Beam Sci. 2023, 7(4), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/qubs7040037 - 21 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1145
Abstract
The acquisition of elemental and chemical distribution images on the surface of cultural heritage objects has provided us new insights into our past. The techniques commonly employed, such as macroscopic X-ray fluorescence imaging (MA-XRF), in general require pointwise or whisk-broom scanning of an [...] Read more.
The acquisition of elemental and chemical distribution images on the surface of cultural heritage objects has provided us new insights into our past. The techniques commonly employed, such as macroscopic X-ray fluorescence imaging (MA-XRF), in general require pointwise or whisk-broom scanning of an object under constant measurement geometry for optimal results. Most scanners in this field use stacked linear motorized stages, which are a proven solution for 2D sample positioning. Instead of these serial systems, we propose the use of a parallel cable robot to position the measurement head relative to the object investigated. In this article, we illustrate the significance of the issue and present our own cable robot prototype and test its capabilities, but also discuss the current shortcomings of the concept. With this, we demonstrate the potential of cable robots as platforms for MA-XRF and similar imaging techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Macro X-ray Fluorescence Applications)
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