Characterization of pigments used in painting by means of laser-induced plasma and attenuated total reflectance FTIR spectroscopy

The study of pigments which are found in the works of art is one of the most important tasks in the examination of historic, artistic and archaeological materials since it can provide information about their source, the pictorial technique used or the presence of restoration works.In some studies, the historical, artistic and technical characterization of the artefact is not the final goal but its restoration. In those cases, the knowledge about the chemical composition inferred from the analysis of the artwork is crucial for conservators and restorers in order to ensure that the same pigments that were used in the original work are employed for the restoration.In this work, the analytical characterization of a range of different pigments commonly used in art has been carried out using laser-induced plasma (LIBS) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR spectroscopy. The main purpose of this study is to provide a preliminary database of LIBS and ATR-FTIR spectra in order to supply both elemental and molecular information, respectively.     

Atomic fluorescence spectrometry: A review of advances in instrumentation and novel applications

Atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) is a commonly employed method for elemental analysis employed with chemical vapor generation procedures due to its low cost and high sensitivity. Advances in AFS are reviewed for 2014 and 2015 involving instrumentation and novel applications. Major advances include novel applications of diffusive gradients in thin films, photochemical vaporization, and novel atom cells. Significant applications were reported in the fields of food, bioanalytical, materials, and environmental analysis. Atomic fluorescence was employed for elemental speciation, with emphasis on the determination of mercury and arsenic.     

电子束诱导的纳米颗粒表面等离激元激发模拟

本文基于离散偶极子近似方法,发展出了一套计算任意纳米结构材料的电子能量损失谱的方法和程序. 模拟了在单个银纳米颗粒附近不同入射位置下的电子能量损失谱,其计算结果与实验能谱非常吻合. 虽然离散偶极子近似法早在很多年前就已经被应用到处理外加光场激发的情形,但这套方法才真正提供了一个研究电子束诱导金属纳米颗粒局域表面等离激元激发的计算工具.     

Physicochemical characterization of an Indian traditional medicine, Jasada Bhasma: detection of nanoparticles containing non-stoichiometric zinc oxide

Herbs and minerals are the integral parts of traditional systems of medicine in many countries. Herbo-Mineral medicinal preparations called Bhasma are unique to the Ayurvedic and Siddha systems of Indian Traditional Medicine. These preparations have been used since long and are claimed to be the very effective and potent dosage form. However, there is dearth of scientific analytical studies carried out on these products, and even the existing ones suffer from incomplete analysis. Jasada Bhasma is a unique preparation of zinc belonging to this class. This particular preparation has been successfully used by traditional practitioners for the treatment of diabetes and age-related eye diseases. This work presents a first comprehensive physicochemical characterization of Jasada Bhasma using modern state-of-the-art techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), elemental analysis with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our analysis shows that the Jasada Bhasma particles are in oxygen deficient state and a clearly identifiable fraction of particles are in the nanometer size range. These properties like oxygen deficiency and nanosize particles in Jasada Bhasma might impart the therapeutic property of this particular type of medicine. A. C. Joshi: Private Practitioner (Vaidya).     

An integrated spectroscopic approach for the non-invasive study of modern art materials and techniques

A non-invasive study has been carried out on 18 paintings by Alberto Burri (1915–1995), one of Italy’s most important contemporary painters. The study aims to demonstrate the appropriate and suitable use of portable non-invasive instrumentation for the characterization of materials and techniques found in works dating from 1948 to 1975 belonging to the Albizzini Collection. Sampling of any kind has been forbidden, in order to maintain the integrity of the paintings. Furthermore, the material heterogeneity of each single artwork could potentially result in a poorly representative sampling campaign. Therefore, a non-invasive and in situ analytical approach has been deemed mandatory, notwithstanding the complexity of modern materials and challenging data interpretation. It is the non-invasive nature of the study that has allowed for the acquisition of vast spectral data (a total of about 650 spectra including XRF, mid and near FTIR, micro-Raman and UV–vis absorption and emission spectroscopies). In order to better handle and to extrapolate the most meaningful information from these data, a statistical multivariate analysis, namely principal component analysis (PCA), has been applied to the spectral results. In particular, the possibility of combining elemental and molecular information has been explored by uniting XRF and infrared spectra in one PCA dataset. The combination of complementary spectroscopic techniques has allowed for the characterization of both inorganic and organic pigments, extenders, fillers, and binders employed by Alberto Burri.     

基于量子点的荧光型太阳能聚光器

近年来,量子点在结构可控、光谱调节和光学稳定方面的研究进展,表明基于量子点的聚光器件表现出优于基于传统有机染料分子的光输出性能。量子点聚光器成为目前量子点研究领域的新方向。量子点在宏量制备和绿色制备方面的深入研究,使得量子点的制造成本逐步降低,基于量子点的聚光器具有光电转换效率和成本上的优势。本文综述了量子点聚光器的研究进展,主要包括荧光型聚光器的优点、聚光器对量子点光学性质的要求、器件制备的工艺和器件的性能表征方法。重点阐述了量子点的太阳光吸收能力、荧光量子产率和重吸收等关键因素对聚光器件性能的影响,同时介绍了该领域目前最新的研究方向,展望了廉价太阳能窗户在未来城镇建筑上的潜在应用。     

Polarized-Beam High-Energy EDXRF in Geological Samples

Certified reference materials (NIST 1645, BCR 143, IAEA 7, BCR 141, NIES_CRM_02, and IAEA 375) were used for determining the performance of a secondary target energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer, Epsilon 5 (PANalytical, Almelo, the Netherlands). For the evaluation of the EDXRF spectra with polarized-beam high-energy excitation, the WinAxil software package has been applied. The results showed that Epsilon 5, EDXRF spectrometry is favorable for the determination of elemental concentrations in geological samples, but the sample preparation has the largest influence on the precision. However, they presented good agreement with certified values for most of the elements.     

一种结合并行成像和压缩感知的快速磁共振成像新方法

压缩感知（CS）技术和并行成像技术（主要是SENSE技术、GRAPPA技术等）都能通过减少k空间数据的采集量来加快磁共振成像速度,目前已有一些将两种方法相结合进一步加速磁共振成像速度的方法（例如CS-GRAPPA）.本文针对数据采集和重建这两方面对现有CS-GRAPPA方法进行了改进,采集方式上采用了局部等间隔采集模板以满足GRAPPA重建的要求,并对采集模板进行随机放置以满足CS重建的要求;数据重建时,根据自动校正数据估算GRAPPA算法中欠采行的重建误差,并利用误差的大小确定在CS算法中保真的程度.不同磁共振图像重建实验的结果表明：与现有方法相比,本文方法能够更好地保留原有图像细节并有效减少伪影.     

Illuminate Proteins and Peptides by Elemental Tag for HPLC-ICP-MS Detection

Abstract

High-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) is becoming a significant complementary technique of HPLC–molecular mass spectrometry for proteins and peptides quantification. However, the naturally occurring heteroelements inside proteins and peptides, such as sulfur, phosphor, and selenium, are not sensitive enough in ICP-MS for low-abundance proteins and peptides, due to their low ionization efficiency or polyatomic spectral interference. In order to make the low-abundance proteins and peptides “visible” by HPLC-ICP-MS, a foreign elemental tag can be employed. The foreign elemental tags are highly sensitive in ICP-MS and almost absent in common biological matrices, which leads to significantly low limits of detection. This review summarizes the major applications of elemental tags in combination with HPLC-ICP-MS detection. The organic mercury tags, iodine tags, ferrocene tags, and macrocyclic metal chelate complex tags are discussed in detail. The recent development of HPLC-ICP-MS in combination with elemental tags demonstrates the great potential in sensitive and accurate proteins and peptides quantification.     

A multi-channel full-duplex 60-GHz-band radio-over-fiber system

We propose and simulate a novel full-duplex radio-over-fiber system using a single light source at central station (CS). The scheme is employed to generate 60-GHz optical millimeter wave at CS for down-link transmission while the same optical carrier is reused at base station for up-link connection. There is no additional laser source for the upstream data generation in the base station. The bidirectional full-duplex 2.5 Gb/s data are successfully transmitted over 40 km standard single-mode fiber (SMF). The power penalty for the down-link data after transmission over 40 km SMF is less than 0.6 dB, while for the up-link data, the power penalty after transmission over 40 km SMF is neglected. This system shows good performance over long-distance delivery and has important applicable value in high radio frequency (RF) sector and multi-channel full-duplex system.     

锂离子电池相关材料的Raman光谱学研究

锂离子电池是目前综合性能最好的可充电池。本文总结我们实验室用Raman光谱学研究锂离子电池相关材料的一些结果 ,包括聚合物电解质的微结构和离子输运机制 ,低温热解碳负极材料的结构表征和锂离子在其中的嵌入 /脱出机理 ,元素替代引起正极材料LiMn2 O4的结构变化以及在充放电过程中电极 /电解质界面形成的钝化层的性质及其对电池性能的影响     

LDPC coded DFT/DCT-spread SC-FDMA for image communication: A compressed sensing approach

A compressed sensing (CS)-based detector is proposed for the low-density parity-check (LDPC) coded single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) scheme. The proposed CS-based detector can be employed at the receiver of LDPC-coded SC-FDMA systems for efficient image communications over vehicular channels. The proposed detector employs a suitable sparse recovery algorithm. We have considered both the discrete Fourier transform (DFT)-based and the discrete cosine transform (DCT)-based SC-FDMA for mitigating the channel-induced dispersion at a low peak to average power ratio (PAPR). Additionally, both the linear equalizer (LE) and the decision feedback equalizer (DFE)-based SC-FDMA have been considered for image communication. The performance of the proposed technique is investigated using a number of image quality metrics. The qualities of the received images are also compared visually. The complexity of the proposed detector and that of the benchmark detectors are quantified. Furthermore, the performance and the complexity of the proposed system using some of the sparse recovery techniques are investigated and compared. Our simulations demonstrate that LDPC coded SC-FDMA using the compressed sampling matching pursuit (CoSaMP)-based CS detector can significantly improve the performance of image communication over vehicular channels.     

Numerical simulation of electromagnetic acoustic transducers using distributed point source method

In spite of many advances in analytical and numerical modeling techniques for solving different engineering problems, an efficient solution technique for wave propagation modeling of an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) system is still missing. Distributed point source method (DPSM) is a newly developed semi-analytical technique developed since 2000 by Placko and Kundu (2007) [12] that is very powerful and straightforward for solving various engineering problems, including acoustic and electromagnetic modeling problems. In this study DPSM has been employed to model the Lorentz type EMAT with a meander line and flat spiral type coil. The problem of wave propagation has been solved and eddy currents and Lorentz forces have been calculated. The displacement field has been obtained as well. While modeling the Lorentz force the effect of dynamic magnetic field has been considered that most current analyses ignore. Results from this analysis have been compared with the finite element method (FEM) based predictions. It should be noted that with the current state of knowledge this problem can be solved only by FEM.     

原子光谱/元素质谱在生命分析中的应用进展

原子光谱/元素质谱是元素分析的强有力手段,其在生命分析领域的应用也越来越广泛。在单细胞元素分析方面,相关研究工作主要关注元素在单细胞中的分布和形态变化;在元素标记策略分析领域,利用原子光谱（atomic spectrometry, AS）和电感耦合等离子体质谱（inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP-MS）实现对小分子、核酸、蛋白质等目标分析物的高灵敏检测是研究热点;在金属药物分析领域,ICP-MS为研究金属药物在生物体中的摄入、分布、代谢和排泄等过程提供了便利,也为进一步阐明药物作用机理以及金属药物的设计和改进提供了数据支持;在生物元素成像领域,ICP-MS与激光剥蚀技术（laser ablation, LA）联用,可以对生物样品进行原位分析和微区分析,结合有机质谱实现元素相关生物过程的分子机制研究;与相关分离方法联用,原子光谱和元素质谱还可以对生物组织中元素进行形态分析,研究其在相关过程中的生物转化过程。本文从单细胞元素分析、元素标签标记策略、金属药物转运与代谢以及生物组织中元素分布分析等方面,评述了原子光谱和ICP-MS在生命分析中的应用实例,并对该领域的发展前景进行了展望。     

Coded excitation of ultrasonic guided waves in long bone fracture assessment

Ultrasonic guided wave (GW) assessment of long bone fracture have conventionally been based on pulse excitation. However, the high attenuation during propagation diminishes the amplitude of received GWs and results in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The Barker code (BC) excitation and the optimal binary code (OBC) excitation were utilized in this study to overcome this limitation. Both simulations and in vitro experiments were performed on the fractured cortical bone plate model, and measured signals from both the BC and OBC excitations were decoded using the finite impulse response least squares inverse filter (FIR-LSIF) and then compared with sine pulse (SP) excited signals. The results suggest the efficiency of coded excitation for amplitude and SNR improvement. Furthermore, time–frequency representation (TFR) analysis was applied to experimental signals; with increasing fracture depth, energy transformation between predominate GW modes A1 and S2 was confirmed. These results show the potential of using BC and OBC excitations to evaluate the depth of long bone fracture.     

Optimization of facet coating for highly strained InGaAs quantum well lasers operating at 1200 nm

The optical output power of a laser diode can be enhanced by anti-reflection (AR) and high-reflection (HR) facet coatings, respectively, at the front and back facet. AR and HR coatings also serve the purpose of protection and passivation of laser diode facets. In this work, we have designed and optimized a single layer λ/4 thick Al₂O₃ film for the AR coating and a stack of λ/4 thick Al₂O₃/λ/4 thick Si bi-layers for the HR coating for highly strained InGaAs quantum-well edge emitting broad area (BA) laser diodes. Effect of the front and back facet reflectivities on output power of the laser diodes has been studied. The light output versus injected current (L–I characteristics) measurements were carried out on selected devices before and after the facet coatings. We have also carried out the numerical simulation and analysis of L–I characteristics for this particular diode structure. The experimental results have been compared and verified with the numerical simulation.     

三乙烯四胺基双(二硫代甲酸钠)及其重金属配合物的光谱研究

采用红外光谱、紫外光谱、原子吸收光谱及元素分析研究了三乙烯四胺基双(二硫代甲酸钠)(DTC-TETA)的结构及其重金属配合物的配位行为。在DTC-TETA的红外光谱图中,在1 461～1 388 cm-1处和1 174～996 cm-1处分别出现含有部分双键性质的CN键和CS键的特征吸收峰;在紫外光谱图中,分别在265和290 nm处出现两个最大吸收峰,分别对应于N…C…S基团的π—π*跃迁和S…C…S基团中硫原子上非键电子向共轭体系的n—π*跃迁;元素分析结果表明该化合物中碳、氢、氮、硫的摩尔比近似为2∶4∶1∶1。在Cu(Ⅱ), Cd(Ⅱ), Zn(Ⅱ), Ni(Ⅱ)配合物的紫外光谱图中分别在紫外区的321, 310, 311, 325 nm处出现新的最大吸收峰。流动注射与火焰原子吸收联用分析结果表明DTC-TETA对铜、镉、镍、锌等重金属离子的络合能力强于二乙基二硫代氨基甲酸钠(DDTC)。     

Detection of explosives with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Our recent work on the detection of explosives by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is reviewed in this paper. We have studied the physical mechanism of laser-induced plasma of an organic explosive, TNT. The LIBS spectra of TNT under single-photon excitation are simulated using MATLAB. The variations of the atomic emission lines intensities of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen versus the plasma temperature are simulated too. We also investigate the time-resolved LIBS spectra of a common inorganic explosive, black powder, in two kinds of surrounding atmospheres, air and argon, and find that the maximum value of the O atomic emission line SBR of black powder occurs at a gate delay of 596 ns. Another focus of our work is on using chemometic methods such as principle component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to distinguish the organic explosives from organic materials such as plastics. A PLS-DA model for classification is built. TNT and seven types of plastics are chosen as samples to test the model. The experimental results demonstrate that LIBS coupled with the chemometric techniques has the capacity to discriminate organic explosive from plastics.     

A deep view in cultural heritage—confocal micro X-ray spectroscopy for depth resolved elemental analysis

Quantitative X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) techniques have been developed mostly for the elemental analysis of homogeneous bulk or very simple layered materials. Further on, the microprobe version of both techniques is applied for 2D elemental mapping of surface heterogeneities. At typical XRF/PIXE fixed geometries and exciting energies (15–25 keV and 2–3 MeV, respectively), the analytical signal (characteristic X-ray radiation) emanates from a variable but rather extended depth within the analyzed material, according to the exciting probe energy, set-up geometry, specimen matrix composition and analyte. Consequently, the in-depth resolution offered by XRF and PIXE techniques is rather limited for the characterization of materials with micrometer-scale stratigraphy or 3D heterogeneous structures. This difficulty has been over-passed to some extent in the case of an X-ray or charged particle microprobe by creating the so-called confocal geometry. The field of view of the X-ray spectrometer is spatially restricted by a polycapillary X-ray lens within a sensitive microvolume formed by the two inter-sectioned focal regions. The precise scanning of the analyzed specimen through the confocal microvolume results in depth-sensitive measurements, whereas the additional 2D scanning microprobe possibilities render to element-specific 3D spatial resolution (3D micro-XRF and 3D micro-PIXE). These developments have contributed since 2003 to a variety of fields of applications in environmental, material and life sciences. In contrast to other elemental imaging methods, no size restriction of the objects investigated and the non-destructive character of analysis have been found indispensable for cultural heritage (CH) related applications. The review presents a summary of the experimental set-up developments at synchrotron radiation beamlines, particle accelerators and desktop spectrometers that have driven methodological developments and applications of confocal X-ray microscopy including depth profiling speciation studies by means of confocal X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The solid mathematical formulation developed for the quantitative in-depth elemental analysis of stratified materials is exemplified and depth profile reconstruction techniques are discussed. Selected CH applications related to the characterization of painted layers from paintings and decorated artifacts (enamels, glasses and ceramics), but also from the study of corrosion and patina layers in glass and metals, respectively, are presented. The analytical capabilities, limitations and future perspectives of the two variants of the confocal micro X-ray spectroscopy, 3D micro-XRF and 3D micro-PIXE, with respect to CH applications are critically assessed and discussed.     

表面增强拉曼光谱研究正己硫醇分子在银基底表面自组装过程的时间和浓度因素影响

表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)是一种具有超灵敏检测能力的谱学技术,可以在单分子水平上检测分子结构的动态变化过程。烷基硫醇的自组装膜是一类典型的类晶态有序结构薄膜,在仿生、材料、电子和化学等领域有着重要的应用,越来越受到人们的关注。本文利用SERS对正己硫醇(hexanethiol,HT)分子在银基底上的吸附和组装过程进行研究,对HT的拉曼和自组装膜SERS光谱进行了指认。根据C-S,C-C和CH₃键结构的反式和旁式的特征光谱信息,研究HT吸附在银纳米粒子表面的构象,以及自组装膜结构的有序性。研究了吸附时间和浓度两个因素对成膜规律产生的影响。实验结果表明,当HT溶液浓度较高时,HT单层膜成膜速率较快,且有序性较好;当HT溶液浓度较低时,HT单层膜成膜速率较慢,且有序性较差。这一研究结果对成膜动力学以及烷基硫醇的有序单层膜的制备具有重要的指导意义,为基于烷基硫醇的自组装单层膜在防腐、器件和生物方面的应用奠定了基础。