The concentration of halogens (Cl, Br) and sulfate in seawater during the Archaean eon have important implications for the evolution of Earth’s hydrosphere and atmosphere and the development of early life. Insights into the composition of Archaean seawater and hydrothermal fluids can be obtained by direct analysis of fluid inclusions preserved in Archaean sediments and hydrothermal systems. Her...

Metallic elements are required in numerous essential biological processes of the human body. Transition metal elements like iron, zinc or copper bound to proteins (metalloproteins) perform a variety of complex biological functions as catalysts which regulate biochemical reactions and physiological functions in cells and organs. Published reports have been pointing out that excessive accumulatio...

Since most micro-spectrometers are operated in air, up to now only mapping of medium and higher Z elements was possible with micro X-ray fluorescence analysis (μ-XRF). Though for some applications (e.g.: biologicaland geological samples, samples from art and archeology) the extension to light elements is of great interest. Therefore μ-XRF measurements using a polycapillary lens mounted inside a...

Trace metals play critical roles in a variety of systems, ranging from cells to photovoltaics. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) microscopy using X-ray excitation provides one of the highest sensitivities available for imaging the distribution of trace metals at sub-100 nm resolution. With the growing availability and increasing performance of synchrotron light source based instruments and X-ray nanofoc...

One of the critical factors for successfully conducting contamination characterization, removal, and remedial operations at hazardous waste sites is rapid and appropriate response to analyze samples in a timely fashion. Turnaround time associated with off-site analysis is often too slow to support efficient utilization of the data. Field portable X-ray fluorescence (FPXRF) techniques provide vi...

Stained glass paint layers made with vitreous paints can be a challenging subject for analyses. Their heterogenic structure requires proper experimental methodology in order to obtain valuable data. The main goal of this paper is present the advantages macro-XRF scanning (MA-XRF) non-destructive investigation historical grisaille on basis research conducted seven stained panels from Dominican M...

We have demonstrated the cascade effect and the secondary photoelectron excitation effect by means of Cr-L line measurements by using monochromatic radiation of high spectral purity and well-known flux provided by two beamlines of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany's national institute of metrology at the electron storage ring BESSY II. The plane grating monochromator beam...

The systematic determination of trace-element concentrations in honey samples was done by the PIXE method using a 2 MeV proton beam and by the total reflection XRF method. The different kinds of honey samples were collected in the period of spring–summer in three places of Poland: in the centre of Warsaw (a highly polluted region) and about 100 km east of Warsaw and 70 km southwest of Warsaw (a...