Proton beam examination of glass – an analytical contribution for preventive conservation


Proton beam examination of glass – an analytical contribution for preventive conservation

Mäder, M.; Neelmeijer, C.

Historic glass objects belong to the valuable artistic and cultural heritage that suffers a progressive deterioration due to atmospheric effects. For predicting the chemical stability of a glass object showing no visible alteration or corrosion damage, the three ion beam techniques PIGE, PIXE and RBS have been combined in simultaneous measurements at the Rossendorf external proton beam. Non-destructive determination of the glass bulk composition despite a thin corrosion layer on the glass surface facilitate the identification of glasses which are sensitive to environmental degradation, hence require specific storage conditions. The complete analytical reproduction of the chemical composition of unaffected glass using the combination of PIGE and PIXE is also discussed.

Keywords: glass corrosion; ion beam analysis; external beam; PIGE; PIXE; RBS; conservation; preservation

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Publ.-Id: 5744