Modular MA-XRF Scanner Development in the Multi-Analytical Characterisation of a 17th Century <i>Azulejo</i> from Portugal
Sergio Augusto Barcellos Lins,
Marta Manso,
Pedro Augusto Barcellos Lins,
Antonio Brunetti,
Armida Sodo,
Giovanni Ettore Gigante,
Andrea Fabbri,
Paolo Branchini,
Luca Tortora,
Stefano Ridolfi
Affiliations
Sergio Augusto Barcellos Lins
Dipartimento di Scienze di Base e Applicate per L’ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, Via Antonio Scarpa 14/16, 00161 Rome, Italy
Marta Manso
LIBPhys & VICARTE, Department of Physics & Department of Conservation and Restoration, NOVA School of Science and Technology, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Pedro Augusto Barcellos Lins
Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rua Mario Santos Braga, 30-Centro, Niterói, RJ 24020-140, Brazil
Antonio Brunetti
Istituto di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Armida Sodo
Department of Sciences, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Ettore Gigante
Dipartimento di Scienze di Base e Applicate per L’ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, Via Antonio Scarpa 14/16, 00161 Rome, Italy
Andrea Fabbri
INFN Sezione di Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Rome, Italy
Paolo Branchini
Surface Analysis Laboratory Roma Tre—National Institute of Nuclear Physics—Roma Tre University, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Rome, Italy
Luca Tortora
Surface Analysis Laboratory Roma Tre—National Institute of Nuclear Physics—Roma Tre University, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Rome, Italy
Stefano Ridolfi
Ars Mensurae, Via Vincenzo Comparini 101, 00188 Rome, Italy
A modular X-ray scanning system was developed, to fill in the gap between portable instruments (with a limited analytical area) and mobile instruments (with large analytical areas, and sometimes bulky and difficult to transport). The scanner has been compared to a commercial tabletop instrument, by analysing a Portuguese tile (azulejo) from the 17th century. Complementary techniques were used to achieve a throughout characterisation of the sample in a complete non-destructive approach. The complexity of the acquired X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra, due to inherent sample stratigraphy, has been resolved using Monte Carlo simulations, and Raman spectroscopy, as the most suitable technique to complement the analysis of azulejos colours, yielding satisfactory results. The colouring agents were identified as cobalt blue and a Zn-modified Naples-yellow. The stratigraphy of the area under study was partially modelled with Monte Carlo simulations. The scanners performance has been compared by evaluating the images outputs and the global spectrum.
