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...

Every infection is a battle for trace elements. Neutrophils migrate first to the infection site and accumulate quickly to high numbers. They fight pathogens by phagocytosis and intracellular toxication. Additionally, neutrophils form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to inhibit extracellular microbes. Yet, neutrophil trace element characteristics are largely unexplored. We investigated unst...

The structure of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of undecylenic acid methyl ester (SAM-1) and undec-10-enoic acid 2-bromo-ethyl ester (SAM-2) grown on hydrogen-passivated Si(111) were studied by X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray standing waves (XSW), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The two different SAMs were grown by immersion of H-...

Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie (1942–1943) was examined using Macro X-Ray Fluorescence mapping (MA-XRF) to help characterize the artist’s materials and understand his creative process as well as the current condition issues of the painting. The presence and distribution of key chemical elements was used to identify the main pigments in the different paint layers and under-layers, namely...