The provenance of raw materials is always an interesting task for both conservation scientists and archaeologists. Solving provenance issues with geological tools contributes to the delineation of executive techniques or trade routes. It fosters the comprehension of the artistic and historical value of an artwork or the detection of forgeries. At the same time, the unrepeatability of unique artworks demands non-destructive investigations. TEA CO2 laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is hereby presented as a feasible technique when dealing with the provenance of pigments. Powders/fragments of Italian ochres were firstly characterized by X-ray powder diffraction. Secondly, a minimal amount of the same powdered samples was mixed with KBr to produce pellets. These samples were then analysed by LIBS, using a 10.6 µm TEA CO2 pulsed laser. The initial pulse full width at half maximum (FWHM) was 100 ns and the net pulse duration was about 2 µs. Pulse energy was nearly 160 mJ, with a resulting output power of 80 MW. The repetition rate was 1.2 Hz (Savovic et al., 2016; Zivkovic et al., 2017). These operative conditions created the target plasma for the excitation of the elements commonly found in these pigments. Minor constituents, such as Cs and Hg, were identified. The LIBS set-up has preliminarily shown to be useful and effective in the chemical characterization of powdered ochres. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the impurities by TEA CO2 laser-LIBS could be successfully used in future investigations on a larger number of ochraceous samples. Additional benefits are given by a relatively simple TEA CO2 laser-LIBS system with good sensitivity and minimum amount of sampling. Savovic J., Stoiljkovic M., Kuzmanovic M., et al., 2016. The feasibility of TEA CO2 laser-induced plasma for spectrochemical analysis of geological samples in simulated Martian conditions. Spectrochim. Acta Part B At. Spectrosc., 118, pp.127–136. Zivkovic, S., Momcilovic, M., Staicu, A., et al., 2017. Spectrochemical analysis of powdered biological samples using transversely excited atmospheric carbon dioxide laser plasma excitation. Spectrochim. Acta Part B At. Spectrosc., 128, pp.22–29.

Pulsed 10.6 μm TEA CO2 LIBS as a tool in the characterization of powdered ochres: preliminary assessments / Botticelli, M.; Stoiljkovic, M.; Momcilovic, M.; Maras, A.. - (2017). (Intervento presentato al convegno Geosciences: a tool in a changing word tenutosi a Pisa, Italy).

Pulsed 10.6 μm TEA CO2 LIBS as a tool in the characterization of powdered ochres: preliminary assessments

M. Botticelli
Primo
;
M. Stoiljkovic;A. Maras
Ultimo
2017

Abstract

The provenance of raw materials is always an interesting task for both conservation scientists and archaeologists. Solving provenance issues with geological tools contributes to the delineation of executive techniques or trade routes. It fosters the comprehension of the artistic and historical value of an artwork or the detection of forgeries. At the same time, the unrepeatability of unique artworks demands non-destructive investigations. TEA CO2 laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is hereby presented as a feasible technique when dealing with the provenance of pigments. Powders/fragments of Italian ochres were firstly characterized by X-ray powder diffraction. Secondly, a minimal amount of the same powdered samples was mixed with KBr to produce pellets. These samples were then analysed by LIBS, using a 10.6 µm TEA CO2 pulsed laser. The initial pulse full width at half maximum (FWHM) was 100 ns and the net pulse duration was about 2 µs. Pulse energy was nearly 160 mJ, with a resulting output power of 80 MW. The repetition rate was 1.2 Hz (Savovic et al., 2016; Zivkovic et al., 2017). These operative conditions created the target plasma for the excitation of the elements commonly found in these pigments. Minor constituents, such as Cs and Hg, were identified. The LIBS set-up has preliminarily shown to be useful and effective in the chemical characterization of powdered ochres. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the impurities by TEA CO2 laser-LIBS could be successfully used in future investigations on a larger number of ochraceous samples. Additional benefits are given by a relatively simple TEA CO2 laser-LIBS system with good sensitivity and minimum amount of sampling. Savovic J., Stoiljkovic M., Kuzmanovic M., et al., 2016. The feasibility of TEA CO2 laser-induced plasma for spectrochemical analysis of geological samples in simulated Martian conditions. Spectrochim. Acta Part B At. Spectrosc., 118, pp.127–136. Zivkovic, S., Momcilovic, M., Staicu, A., et al., 2017. Spectrochemical analysis of powdered biological samples using transversely excited atmospheric carbon dioxide laser plasma excitation. Spectrochim. Acta Part B At. Spectrosc., 128, pp.22–29.
2017
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1612300
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