Quantitative elemental localisation in plants using ion beam microprobe analysis

In plant biology there are efforts to study the accurate elemental concentrations and localisations in plant tissues on a microscopic scale. Ion beam analysis successfully introduced into material science, geology, archaeology and aerosol study offers a good possibility to carry out quantitative elemental investigations in plant samples. In this work we show the applicability of ion beam analysis at the microprobe facility available in ATOMKI, Debrecen, in plant studies. Concentrations and distributions of major, micro- and trace elements were determined within the roots of Bidens tripartitus. Metals were found in higher concentrations in the rhisodermis than in the inner tissues. Besides concentration values maps of elemental distribution in the tissues are also presented. Ion beam microprobe analysis can successfully complement bulk techniques in studying the uptake and transport processes of various elements in plants

Városi aeroszol analízise Kelet-Magyarország régióban = Characterization of urban aerosol in East-Hungary region

A projekt célja légköri aeroszol tulajdonságainak és hatásainak vizsgálata volt Kelet-Magyarországi régióban. Célunk az ATOMKI IBA Laboratóriumában zajló kutatások folytatása, valamint bővítése volt új, nemzetközi szinten is jelentős vizsgálatokkal. Fontosabb eredmények: -Meghatároztuk a városi aeroszol forrásait, azok napszaki, napi és szezonális változásait. Egyedi részecske analízis segítségével azonosítottuk emissziós epizódok és a Cl eredetét. Új analitikai technikát, gyorsítós tömegspektrometriát alkalmaztunk az aeroszol fosszilis és biomassza eredetű komponensének szétválasztására. -Komplex felmérést végeztünk egy elektronikai alkatrészeket előállító cég gyártó csarnokában. A munkahelyi aeroszol összetételét, méretét, forrásait, keletkezési módját határoztuk meg ionnyaláb mikroanalitikával. -Megkezdtük debreceni iskolák felmérését. A tantermekben magas szálló por koncentrációt mértünk, amelynek számos külső és belső forrását azonosítottuk: pl. közlekedés, háztartási fatüzelés, tisztítószerek, meszelt falak, szőnyegek és kémiai kísérletek. -Az aeroszoltól származó terhelés becslésére kiszámítottuk a különböző részecskék emberi légzőrendszer mentén való lerakódásának valószínűségét. -Meghatároztuk egy átlagos kelet-európai város (Debrecen) aeroszol koncentrációjának, elemi összetevőinek és forrásainak hosszú távú tendenciáit és szezonális változásait 1993-2010 között. Kimutattunk Európa forrásterületeire jellemző elemösszetétel „ujjlenyomatokat” is. | The objective of the project was to study the properties of atmospheric aerosol in Debrecen and East-Hungary region by continuing and expanding the aerosol research in the IBA Lab of the ATOMKI with emphasis on characterization of urban aerosol sources and of investigation of indoor aerosol and personal exposure. Main achievements: - Urban aerosol sources and their hourly, daily, weekly and seasonal variation were determined. Origin of Cl and emission episodes was identified with the help of single particle analysis. To separate the fossil and biomass component of carbonaceous aerosol a new techniques, accelerator mass spectrometry was introduced. - A complex survey of the working environment of an electronic product company was made. Composition, size, sources, formation mechanism and evolution of workplace aerosols were determined. - A survey has been started in schools. Several outdoor and indoor sources contributed to the high level classroom pollution, e.g. traffic, heating and cleaning chemicals, wall paint, the carpets or the experiments in laboratories. - To estimate the exposure due to aerosols deposition probabilities along the human respiratory tract was calculated. - Long term tendencies and seasonal variation of the elemental concentrations, mass concentrations and of sources of urban aerosol in an average east-European city (Debrecen) were determined. Characteristic elemental fingerprints of different source areas of Europe were identified

Structural Analysis of Si(OEt) 4 Deposits on Au(111)/SiO 2 Substrates at the Nanometer Scale Using Focused Electron Beam-Induced Deposition

The focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) process was used by employing a GeminiSEM with a beam characteristic of 1 keV and 24 pA to deposit pillars and line-shaped nanostructures with heights between 9 nm and 1 μm and widths from 5 nm to 0.5 μm. All structures have been analyzed to their composition looking at a desired Si/O/C content measuring a 1:2:0 ratio. The C content of the structure was found to be ∼over 60% for older deposits kept in air (∼at room temperature) and less than 50% for later deposits, only 12 h old. Upon depositing Si­(OEt)4 at high rates and at a deposition temperature of under 0 °C, the obtained Si content of our structures was between 10 and 15 atom % (compositional percentage). The FEBID structures have been deposited on Au(111)/SiO2. The Au(111) was chosen as a substrate for the deposition of Si­(OEt)4 due to its structural and morphological properties. With its surface granulation following a Chevron pattern and surface defects having an increased contribution to the changes in the composition of the final structure content, the Au(111) surface characteristic behavior at the deposition of Si­(OEt)4 is an increase in the O ratio and a reduction in the nanodeposit heights

Micro-PIXE studies on prehistoric chert tools: elemental mapping to determine Palaeolithic lithic procurement

This paper contributes to an understanding of the distances and choices involved in raw material procurement strategies by Upper Palaeolithic communities through a Pyrenean geoarchaeological case study. Methodologically it involved using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) with a focused proton beam to determine the concentration and distribution of elements in geological samples from three natural primary outcrops belonging to two geological formations outcropping in the French side of the Pyrenees. While it was not possible to distinguish the formation through reference to major and minor elements, some variations were revealed at the trace elemental level. With the aim to determine if these elements were associated with the Si matrix or to a specific inclusion, elemental maps were acquired and the elemental composition of the identified inclusions were also determined. These chemical signatures were then compared to those generated from archaeological artefacts from sites in northern Spain as a means of reconstructing the catchment areas used by prehistoric groups for their chert procurement. The results indicate the existence of trans-Pyrenean long distance procurement strategies during the Magdalenian (13700 to the 18800 cal BP)

Trans-National Access in the field of heritage science at the Laboratory of Ion Beam Applications, MTA Atomki

The Laboratory of Ion Beam Applications at MTA Atomki served as a Trans-National Access (TNA) host within the CHARISMA EU FP7 project. Although cultural heritage research is only one of the several applications in the laboratory, its importance is growing thanks to the success of CHARISMA. The variety of samples and analytical questions in this field provides constant motivation for development of the instrumentation and adaptation of new techniques. We have special expertise in investigations with high lateral resolution and the PIXE analysis of lighter elements but we can also host projects when the in-vacuum measurements are not feasible, at our external micro-beam set-up. We continue the TNA activity within the IPERION CH project.Le laboratoire d’applications des faisceaux d’ions au MTA-Atomki a servi de structure-hôte pour l’accès transnational dans le cadre du programme européen CHARISMA. Alors que l’étude des biens culturels n’est que l’une des applications dont s’occupe le laboratoire, elle acquiert une importance grandissante grâce au succès de CHARISMA. La diversité des échantillons et des questions d’analyse dans ce domaine constitue un moteur permanent de développement de l’instrumentation et de l’adaptation des nouvelles techniques. Nous possédons une expertise particulière dans l’imagerie à haute résolution latérale et la méthode PIXE d’analyse des éléments légers, mais nous pouvons accueillir dans notre équipement externe dédié aux micro-faisceaux les projets excluant les mesures sous vide. Nous poursuivons notre activité d’accès transnational dans le cadre du programme IPERION CH