Thin-sections of painting fragments: opportunities for combined synchrotron-based micro-spectroscopic techniques

Yoko Taniguchi,Murielle Salomé,Francesco Sette,Barbara Fayard,Marine Cotte,Emeline Pouyet

doi:10.1186/s40494-014-0030-1

Abstract

Synchrotron Radiation (SR) - based techniques such as SR-μ Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy, SR-μ X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), SR-μ X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) and SR-μ X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) are increasingly used for the study of cultural heritage materials, as they offer enhanced spatial resolution and chemical sensitivity. For such analyses, painting fragments are usually prepared as thick (typically several hundreds of micrometers) polished cross-sections. The capabilities of these SR techniques can be significantly improved (enhanced data quality, reduced acquisition time, new imaging capabilities, improved lateral and in-depth resolution, reduced dose, etc.) if carried out on thin-sections, i.e. less than ~30 μm in thickness. This paper discusses and illustrates the different motivations in terms of related increased analytical capabilities for SR-μFTIR, SR-μXRF, SR-μXANES and SR-μXRD. Corollary to the optimization of the procedures for single SR micro-analytical technique, a specific discussion is focused on the challenges of their combination.

Highlights

As exemplified by the very high attendance to the 2013 Technart conference, the study of materials in art and archaeology is increasingly benefiting from analytical spectroscopic techniques
Determination of an optimum thickness for X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) measured in X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) mode XANES analysis requires an accurate measurement of μli (E), the linear absorption coefficient which corresponds to the probability that X-ray are absorbed or scattered by the element of interest
In conclusion when the element of interest is concentrated in the sample, performing XANES analyses in XRF mode on thin-sections of appropriate thickness allows substantially reducing the systematic effects which can degrade the analysis of XANES features in XRF mode [44]

Summary

Introduction

As exemplified by the very high attendance to the 2013 Technart conference, the study of materials in art and archaeology is increasingly benefiting from analytical spectroscopic techniques. Low energy XRF photons (

Results

Conclusion