Abstract
The project FUXYA2020 was intended to design and prototype a low-cost basic energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for all those cases where there is not enough financial support to buy a commercial device. Indeed, home-made instruments are ideal when funds are low but constant over the years, as this approach allows the costs to be spread over a longer period of time. The FUXYA2020 was intended mostly for cultural heritage (CH) applications: we optimized the geometry to meet the requirements for both low Z matrix objects, such as glasses and ceramics, and medium-high Z materials, such as metals; besides, we designed a positioning system through Arduino components to obtain good results and repeatability for samples with a complex geometry. The FUXYA2020’s performance was tested both for qualitative and quantitative analyses, the former on pigment layers, and the latter on gold-based certified alloys, exploiting Axil-QXAS software for data elaboration. The classification of ancient ceramics based on multivariate analysis obtained through R environment was also carried out. The qualitative data on pigments have also been compared with the same data obtained by a commercial XRF spectrometer, demonstrating how our very simple and inexpensive prototype can be of great help for a rapid and reliable characterization of cultural heritage materials whenever commercial devices are unaffordable.
Highlights
Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) is a very suitable analysis method for the examination of cultural heritage materials and is widely used, thanks to its relative straightforwardness of use and its totally non-destructive character, allowing for analysis without any sample preparation
The classification of ancient ceramics based on multivariate analysis obtained through R environment was carried out
The qualitative data on pigments have been compared with the same data obtained by a commercial XRF spectrometer, demonstrating how our very simple and inexpensive prototype can be of great help for a rapid and reliable characterization of cultural heritage materials whenever commercial devices are unaffordable
Summary
Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) is a very suitable analysis method for the examination of cultural heritage materials and is widely used, thanks to its relative straightforwardness of use and its totally non-destructive character, allowing for analysis without any sample preparation. In the FUXYA system, the two most expensive elements are obviously represented by the X-ray source and the detection unit These are mandatory for a reliable spectrometer, but with a homemade project it is possible to spread the purchasing on different periods. The X-ray source used is the MINI-X2 X-ray tube (Amptek, Bedford, MA, USA) with a maximum power of 4 W (50 kV, 200 μA) and a transmission rhodium anode The choice of this material for the anode was made for several reasons: the characteristic lines of the K series of rhodium are present at relatively high energies and produce very definite Compton and Rayleigh diffusions that can be useful for the quantitative analysis of light matrix materials [3,6,41,42]; rhodium is rarely present in cultural heritage materials and this decreases the possibility of interference with the sample. PIIningmtthheeenltlasasstt2200yeyaerasr,sE,DEXDRXFRhFashparsopverodvteodbetoa bveeray vsueirtyabslueiatnabdlwe iadnedlywusidedeltyooulsfeodr tool ftohre tehxIenamtehxienaalmatisiotnn2a0otifyopenarionsf,tiEpnDagiXsn,RtaiFlnshogasfso, rpailrtsosovfeafdsotrtroietsbspefoaansvsterrayenssdpuoitnsasbteoletaaalnlnyddniwotsnid-tieonltyvaalulssyievdne octohnoa-lirnafovcr-asive Apcmrctpat4fwtpat4faoheoaheoias0ss0aagdanrahcrcenrntrtmdtmtirkdki[h[eheooaeecea44eVVpipeexrhlatrle7ct7ssissooiannt]pl]oloaaa(oe.r(o.mriiytnFanFlnnttAnrAwwsseeniii,ddsfff,og[gnddnllate4bubuwuuaahad0c0li7iaaetenrsslnrl.ta.ee]iy0y0ceonceno.nprTTk(6rsk6scrc7en7FAekeiiagasgees)s)mmnpis4bb,ro,rngiototdo0olconlcfhtAhAaueeffhuhourflpekelo,pr2,po2tonynauVtnee.p.wipowiodsdhiggdTeTnisisim7aeimgisnmghiohiottt)nnniimhmhcalfeof,eneneogdgenftntuncugeeaawhhysstTh0ptnntnsnnneihei,.alnotlnfitff0baaegiaaiabaigogsl6slnyanylcmctcttlptllsseecestesqreqrmeoioitratrkrareunugrlrelesrst2tAnfgaauuigisdmidos.usgyugyrt)mm,riiotsretsretseltwwuuTaiiaaiireureinotnonnsbpsbpynhnhsintngngteegh(hete(tefhdsmmarnytlsytsatattehhsipsaiuprtotoommd(t(eeaneeunfblnlblnerotoacceFeFsifiotioaieattwnwynhgUiUrslrclllonoadadeuirtupeqXfnXfegyaeyereemomuigrsnYne2pYe2rrnntei,r,0er0ehAhsAwww(ssdssr0dr0dimetey))tggaiariwiwitsolstoaliuFiosso(huueuefnfbaaUnfmufnussttbohsdophsii.i.sosnXotorerieiicTecTeisisgldnnnomYotddaetehthssm,,oenontAayapeeaeaartrardcdcaeeo,ssieinonhohowunctucrtdciipdpdasfaantnclctmima)olelletr2tlclcltteseuraaurawyi0ihoheeaddaddynntc0maaiiftntieceecdodsiesoiooskonnkhrnuunnnnnmsmwnntngftgirrde,o,sre-lereloroiactaaiucaaramsmstngododbobsnsdsceivirnneoeeoestidiaeooiuaaeranrdnrdrcscmfnfnstdatastttai.hiiii.ht.tettttoovoplpTioiohohdAmiAononreiircarhenegengn,,yysksnceeatmtmslsl-l-uhnahahadmsmmamowwssayeeayeabepuiaranasnaemneeonefansnderrdtrktkurrrccsesssoyryeeeesosal-,,i,,maddtftoeieetnrhrnnyngett-. lawanyhdeircsshe, nawslsihboilcdehetpoaelpsnoedrdfooenrpmmenadnqyounfaalcmitaoatrnisvy)ewfaahnceatnolyrdssie)saw,lianhsgeanwqdiutehaanplitingtgamtiwevneitthalanpyaielgyrms,iseitnisitsnlmaoytoerorensu,lyistenifsoutlmore ufaesnaedsfuibsleleannsbidubtlsewetniolslipnbeolretfotborempuesaerffqouurlmatloitacahtqiavureaaclaittneaartilizyveseitsha, enaasnlayatsuqirsue,aaonsftitathaqetiuvpaeignamtniteaanltyti.vsies aisnanloytsoisnilsy nnoott only nfoeatsfiebalesibbulet bwuiltl wnoiltlbneoutsbeefuulsteofuchlatroacchtearrizaecttehreizneattuhreenoafttuhreepoifgtmheenpt.igment
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