Micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) is an elemental analysis technique which allows for the examination of very small sample areas. Like conventional XRF instrumentation, micro X-ray fluorescence uses direct X-ray excitation to induce characteristic X-ray fluorescence emission from the sample for elemental analysis. Unlike conventional XRF, which has a typical spatial resolution ranging in diameter from several hundred micrometers up to several millimeters, µXRF uses X-ray optics to restrict the excitation beam size or focus the excitation beam to a small spot on the sample surface so that small features on the sample can be analyzed. Possibility to map large surfaces (over 10x10 cm2).
Fields of application
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Cultural heritage
architecture, art, decorative arts, painting
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Natural heritage
animal product, fossil, mineral, shell, skeleton, taxidermy collection
Materials
TOOLS
The mobile micro-XRF scanner (MXRF) consists of a spectrometric head equipped with a low power microfocus X-ray tube (30W) with a Rh anode coupled to a focusing polycapillary optic. The spot of the beam coming out from the primary X-ray source is about 10 microns at 10 keV at a focus distance of 3.5 mm....