TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Schäfer, N. A1 - Levcenko, S. A1 - Rissom, T. A1 - Abou-Ras, D. T1 - Orientation-distribution mapping of polycrystalline materials by Raman microspectroscopy N2 - Raman microspectroscopy provides the means to obtain local orientations on polycrystalline materials at the submicrometer level. The present work demonstrates how orientation-distribution maps composed of Raman intensity distributions can be acquired on large areas of several hundreds of square micrometers. A polycrystalline CuInSe2 thin film was used as a model system. The orientation distributions are evidenced by corresponding measurements using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) on the same identical specimen positions. The quantitative, local orientation information obtained by means of EBSD was used to calculate the theoretical Raman intensities for specific grain orientations, which agree well with the experimental values. The presented approach establishes new horizons for Raman microspectroscopy as a tool for quantitative, microstructural analysis at submicrometer resolution. PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep18410 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 5 SP - Article 18410, 1 EP - 7 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-35224 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dariz, P. A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Trace compounds in Early Medieval Egyptian blue carry information on provenance, manufacture, application, and ageing N2 - Only a few scientific evidences for the use of Egyptian blue in Early Medieval wall paintings in Central and Southern Europe have been reported so far. The monochrome blue fragment discussed here belongs to the second church building of St. Peter above Gratsch (South Tyrol, Northern Italy, fifth/ sixth century A.D.). Beyond cuprorivaite and carbon black (underpainting), 26 accessory minerals down to trace levels were detected by means of Raman microspectroscopy, providing unprecedented insights into the raw materials blend and conversion reactions during preparation, application, and ageing of the pigment. In conjunction with archaeological evidences for the manufacture of Egyptian blue in Cumae and Liternum and the concordant statements of the antique Roman writers Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder, natural impurities of the quartz sand speak for a pigment produced at the northern Phlegrean Fields (Campania, Southern Italy). Chalcocite (and chalcopyrite) suggest the use of a sulphidic copper ore, and water-insoluble salts a mixed-alkaline flux in the form of plant ash. Not fully reacted quartz crystals partly intergrown with cuprorivaite and only minimal traces of silicate glass portend solid-state reactions predominating the chemical reactions during synthesis, while the melting of the raw materials into glass most likely played a negligible role. KW - Egyptian blue KW - Raman microspectroscopy KW - Spectoscopic imaging KW - Cuprorivaite KW - Amorphous carbon PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537591 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90759-6 VL - 11 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Nature Portfolio AN - OPUS4-53759 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Kraft, Ronja A1 - Dariz, P. T1 - Shedding light onto the spectra of lime - Part 2: Raman spectra of Ca and Mg carbonates and the role of d-block element luminescence N2 - We previously described the observation of a characteristic narrowband red luminescence emission of burnt lime (CaO), whose reason was unknown so far. This study presents Raman spectra of Mg5 CO3)4(OH)2∙4H2O, Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2, MgCO3, CaMgCO3 and CaCO3 (in limestone powder) as well as luminescence spectra of their calcination products. Comparison of the latter revealed MgO:Cr3+ as the source of the red lime luminescence in all studied samples, containing magnesium oxide as major component, minor component or trace. Spectral characteristics and theoretical background of the luminescence emission of d-block elements integrated in crystal lattices are discussed with the aim of sharpening the awareness for this effect in the Raman community and promoting its application in materials analysis. The latter is demonstrated by the Raman microspectroscopic imaging of the distributions of both Raman-active and Raman-inactive phases in clinker remnants in a 19th-century meso Portland cement mortar sample, which contain relatively high amounts of free lime detected in the form of both luminescing CaO and Raman-scattering Ca(OH)2, owing to exposure of the surface of the thin section to humid air. A combination of light and Raman spectroscopy revealed a calcium–magnesium–iron sulphide phase, indicating sulphurous raw materials and/or solid fuels employed in the calcination process, which in contrast to previously described morphologies of sulphides in cement clinker form extensive greenish black layers on free lime crystals. KW - Calcium carbonates KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Luminescence KW - Magnesium carbonates KW - Meso Portland cement PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537611 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.6174 SN - 0377-0486 VL - 52 IS - 8 SP - 1462 EP - 1472 PB - Wiley Analytical Science AN - OPUS4-53761 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Hidde, Julia A1 - Grünier, Sophie A1 - Jungnickel, Robert A1 - Dariz, P. A1 - Riedel, Jens A1 - Neuhaus, B. T1 - Ageing effects in mountig media of microscope slide samples from natural history collections: A case study with Canada balsam and Permount™ N2 - Microscope slide collections represent extremely valuable depositories of research material in a natural history, forensic, veterinary, and medical context. Unfortunately, most mounting media of these slides deteriorate over time, with the reason for this not yet understood at all. In this study, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and different types of light microscopy were used to investigate the ageing behaviour of naturally aged slides from museum collections and the experimentally aged media of Canada balsam and Permount™, representing a natural and a synthetic resin, respectively, with both being based on mixtures of various terpenes. Whereas Canada balsam clearly revealed chemical ageing processes, visible as increasing colouration, Permount™ showed physical deterioration recognisable by the increasing number of cracks, which even often impacted a mounted specimen. Noticeable changes to the chemical and physical properties of these mounting media take decades in the case of Canada balsam but just a few years in the case of Permount™. Our results question whether or not Canada balsam should really be regarded as a mounting medium that lasts for centuries, if its increasing degree of polymerisation can lead to a mount which is no longer restorable. KW - Deterioration KW - Microscope slides KW - Mounting media KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - UV–Vis spectroscopy PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537632 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13132112 VL - 13 IS - 13 SP - 1 EP - 27 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-53763 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dariz, P. A1 - Wortmann, U. G. A1 - Vogl, Jochen A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Beautiful Pietàs in South Tyrol (Northern Italy): local or imported works of art? N2 - The study, dedicated to Beautiful Pietàs conserved in South Tyrol (Northern Italy), aims to establish, for the first time, a connection between Austroalpine raw materials and the high-fired gypsum mortars constituting the Gothic figure groups in question. The origin and chronology of this stylistically and qualitatively differing ensemble have been subject of art historical debate for nearly a century. The discourse is dominated by three main hypotheses: itinerary of an Austrian artist versus itinerary of the work of art created in an artist’s workshop in Austria versus itinerary of the stylistic vocabulary via graphical or three-dimensional models. The comparison of the δ34S values and the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the gypsum mortars and Austroalpine sulphate deposits (in a compilation of own reference samples and literature data) points to the exploitation of sediments in the Salzkammergut and possibly also in the evaporite district of the Eastern Calcareous Alps, thus evidencing the import of the sculptures and not the activities of local South Tyrolean or itinerant artists. Two geochronological units are distinguishable: The Pietà in the Church St. Martin in Göflan can be assigned to Upper Permian raw material, whereas the metrologically consistent sculptures in the Church of Our Lady of the Benedictine Abbey Marienberg and in the Chapel St. Ann in Mölten correlate with deposits of the Early Triassic (or the Lower-Middle Triassic transition). The medieval gypsum mortars also differ in their mineralogical characteristics, i.e. in their geologically related minor components, as in the first case, characterised by a significant proportion of primary anhydrite, natural carbonate impurities mainly consist of calcite (partly converted to lime-lump-like aggregates), whereas in the second group dolomite (or rather its hydration products after pyrometamorphic decomposition) predominates, accompanied by celestine, quartz and potassium feldspar. The Pietà in the Cathedral Maria Himmelfahrt in Bozen turned out to be made of Breitenbrunn calcareous sandstone (Leitha Mountains, Burgenland, Austria), which is why the sample is not considered in the geochemical analysis. KW - High-fired gypsum mortar KW - Sulphur isotope KW - Strontium isotope KW - Polarised light microscopy KW - Raman microspectroscopy PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545610 DO - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-022-00678-6 SN - 2050-7445 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-54561 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Raman microspectroscopy elucidates Early Medieval art technology: high-fired gypsum mortar and Egyptian blue from the church St. Peter above Gratsch (South Tyrol, Northern Italy) N2 - Raman microspectroscopy enables imaging of the distributions of mineral phases as well as physical properties of materials, such as crystal orientations and crystallinities, with down to sub-micrometre resolution. In a combination with other spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, this approach was applied to the analysis and elucidation of ancient production technologies of stucco fragments made of high-fired gypsum mortar and Egyptian blue pigment discovered on a monochrome wall painting fragment originating from the Early Medieval (5th/6th century AD) construction phase of the church St. Peter above Gratsch in South Tyrol (Northern Italy). T2 - Analytica Conference 2022 CY - Munich, Germany DA - 21.06.2022 KW - Raman microspectroscopy KW - Gypsum KW - Pigments PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55896 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dariz, P. A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Raman focal point on Roman Egyptian blue elucidates disordered cuprorivaite, green glass phase and trace compounds N2 - The discussed comparative analyses of Roman Imperial pigment balls and fragmentary murals unearthed in the ancient cities of Aventicum and Augusta Raurica (Switzerland) by means of Raman microspectroscopy pertain to a predecessor study on trace compounds in Early Medieval Egyptian blue (St. Peter, Gratsch, South Tyrol, Northern Italy). The plethora of newly detected associated minerals of the raw materials surviving the synthesis procedure validate the use of quartz sand matching the composition of sediments transported by the Volturno river into the Gulf of Gaeta (Campania, Southern Italy) with a roasted sulphidic copper ore and a mixed-alkaline plant ash as fluxing agent. Thus, the results corroborate a monopolised pigment production site located in the northern Phlegrean Fields persisting over the first centuries A.D., this in line with statements of the antique Roman writers Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder and recent archaeological evidences. Beyond that, Raman spectra reveal through gradual peak shifts and changes of band width locally divergent process conditions and compositional inhomogeneities provoking crystal lattice disorder in the chromophoric cuprorivaite as well as the formation of a copper-bearing green glass phase, the latter probably in dependency of the concentration of alkali flux, notwithstanding that otherwise solid-state reactions predominate the synthesis. KW - Raman microspectroscopy KW - Egyptian blue KW - Cuprorivaite PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-559028 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-19923-w SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-55902 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Jungnickel, R. A1 - Neuhaus, B. A1 - Riedel, Jens A1 - Kneipp, Janina A1 - Lüter, C. T1 - Raman spectroscopy as a tool for the collection management of microscope slides N2 - Throughout the history of preparation of biological samples for microscopy the choice of the mounting medium was sometimes dictated merely by availability of the used media. Thus, a plethora of resins and other organic polymers as well as complex mixtures are found to serve as mounting agents in microscope slide collections of museums of natural history, impeding the work for both curators and conservators. Dramatically, in some cases the used mounting media can already be observed to have undergone crystallization and other decomposition processes within few years of mounting demanding immediate action in restoring as well as an imminent precaution in conservation. Therefore, an unambiguous chemical identification of the used agent as well as its current aging stage is of great interest for the biologist community. The technical demands on the analytical approach to obtain this information can be straightforwardly identified. Any used technique has to be non-destructive, yield in molecular information allowing for a chemical identification of the used mounting agents and allow for a spatially well-defined interrogation in a thin sample slice, typically through a transparent cover slip. In this contribution we present a thorough study of the applicability of Raman spectroscopy for the described task. The obtained results clearly demonstrate the successful feasibility of the chosen method for a) a clear distinction between different media, b) the elucidation of the chemical composition of a multicomponent medium and c) an unambiguous identification of real unknown samples by a distinct assignment to a previously recorded spectral library. This library database was built up by recording pure mounting agents and will be provided to the general public. In combination with a Raman spectrometer, it can be an invaluable tool for future curation and conservation endeavors devoted to microscope slide collections at natural history museums. KW - Taxonomy KW - Mounting medium KW - Coverslip seal PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2016.07.002 SN - 0044-5231 VL - 265 SP - 178 EP - 190 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-38210 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Dariz, P. T1 - Chemical imaging of historical mortars by Raman microscopy N2 - Raman microspectroscopic imaging was just recently introduced into the analysis of cement stone. Here, we demonstrate this approach on 19th-century Roman and Portland cement mortars and extend it to gypsum-based samples originating from a medieval stucco sculpture (high-burnt gypsum) and a stucco ornament prefabricated at the beginning of the 20th century (plaster of Paris). Furthermore, the distributions of dolomite and Calcite were mapped in an accessory mineral grain with approx. 500 nm lateral Resolution demonstrating the ability for studying alteration processes such as dedolomitisation. As we would like to make this approach accessible to other researchers, we discuss its present status, advantages, limitations and pitfalls. KW - Raman microscopy KW - Chemical imaging KW - Cement clinker KW - Gypsum KW - Dedolomite PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.03.153 SN - 0950-0618 VL - 114 SP - 506 EP - 516 PB - Elsevier Science CY - Oxford, UK AN - OPUS4-36661 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Álvarez-García, J. A1 - Izquierdo-Roca, V. A1 - Pistor, P. A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Pérez-Rodríguez, A. ED - Abou-Ras, D. ED - Kirchartz, T. ED - Rau, U. T1 - Raman spectroscopy on thin films for solar cells N2 - In the present chapter, the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy for the advanced characterisation of thin films for solar cells are reviewed. Raman spectroscopy is an optical, nondestructive technique based on the inelastic scattering of photons with elemental vibrational excitations in the material. The line shape and position of the Raman bands are determined by the crystalline structure and chemical composition of the measured samples, being sensitive to the presence of crystalline defects, impurities and strain. Presence of peaks characteristic of different phases also allows for the identification of secondary phases that are strongly related to the growth and process conditions of the films. All these aspects account for a strong interest in the analysis of the Raman spectra, providing a powerful nondestructive analytical tool for the structural and chemical assessment of the films. In addition, the combination of a Raman spectrometer with an optical microscope also allows for achieving a high spatial resolutions (of below 1 µm) when mapping surfaces and analyzing depth-resolved phase distributions in thin films. The present chapter is divided into four main sections: The two first ones are devoted to a revision of the Fundamentals of Raman spectroscopy (Section 17.2) and Vibrational modes in crystalline materials (Section 17.3). Section 17.4 deals with the main experimental considerations involved in the design and implementation of a Raman scattering setup. This is followed by a detailed description of the application of Raman scattering for the structural and chemico-physical analysis of thin film photovoltaic materials (Section 17.5), with the identification of crystalline structure and secondary phases, evaluation of film crystallinity, analysis of chemical composition of semiconductor alloys, characterisation of nanocrystalline and amorphous layers, stress effects and crystal orientations. This includes the description of corresponding state of the art and recent case examples that illustrate the capabilities of the Raman technique for the advanced characterisation of layers and process monitoring in thin-film photovoltaic technologies. KW - Thin-film solar cells KW - Polycrystalline materials KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Raman microscopy PY - 2016 UR - http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-3527339922.html SN - 978-3-527-33992-1 SP - 469 EP - 499 PB - Wiley & Sons, Ltd. CY - Oxford, UK AN - OPUS4-37451 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schäfer, N. A1 - Wilkinson, A. J. A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Winkelmann, Aimo A1 - Chahine, G. A. A1 - Schülli, T. U. A1 - Rissom, T. A1 - Marquardt, J. A1 - Schorr, S. A1 - Abou-Ras, D. T1 - Microstrain distribution mapping on CuInSe2 thin films by means of electron backscatter diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and Raman microspectroscopy N2 - The investigation of the microstructure in functional, polycrystalline thin films is an important contribution to the enhanced understanding of structure–property relationships in corresponding devices. Linear and planar defects within individual grains may affect substantially the performance of the device. These defects are closely related to strain distributions. The present work compares electron and X-ray diffraction as well as Raman microspectroscopy, which provide access to microstrain distributions within individual grains. CuInSe₂ thin films or solar cells are used as a modelsystem. High-resolution electron backscatter diffraction and X-ray microdiffraction as well as Ramanmicrospectroscopy were applied for this comparison. Consistently, microstrain values were determined of the order of 10⁻⁴ by these three techniques. However,only electron backscatter diffraction, X-ray microdiffraction exhibit sensitivities appropriate for mapping local strain changes at the submicrometer level within individual grains in polycrystalline materials. KW - Microstrain KW - Thin film KW - X-ray microdiffraction KW - EBSD KW - Raman microspectroscopy PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultramic.2016.07.001 SN - 0304-3991 SN - 1879-2723 VL - 169 SP - 89 EP - 97 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-37453 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rühlmann, Madlen A1 - Büchele, Dominique A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Ostermann, Markus T1 - Development of an online-analysis technique for the determination of plant essential nutrients in soils using XRF and LIBS N2 - Currently, there is almost no comprehensive mapping of agricultural cropland because of the lack of fast and affordable mapping methods for important soil properties. Arable land of some hectares in size show a broad range of different nutrient compositions. Because of this heterogeneity wrong fertilization can occur and can cause environmental pollution or lead to smaller harvests and this is simply a waste of resources. The goal of I4S (intelligence for soil) is to develop an integrated system for site-specific soil fertility management. The I4S consortium consists of 10 different institutions, which are testing various sensors for their suitability for the requested applications. Besides the preparation of reference materials, the main task of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in this project is the method development for online-XRF (x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) and for online-LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) sensor systems. Both methods have the advantage that there is no or only little sample preparation necessary. Each method provides a fast and simultaneous multi-element analysis. Both measurement setups can be utilized for a mobile application which is fundamental for reaching the goals of I4S. Having finally a set of some reference materials, further work will focus on the online-XRF and online-LIBS methods in order to obtain useable calibration models. The calibration models will then be tested using stationary and moving samples. T2 - 12. Kolloquium Prozessanalytik CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 28.11.2016 KW - RFA KW - LIBS KW - Soil KW - Agricultural KW - Online KW - Sensor system PY - 2016 SP - P12, 63 EP - 65 AN - OPUS4-38377 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wäsche, Rolf A1 - Brandt, Guido A1 - Ehrke, Roman A1 - Nolze, Gert A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Sasaki, S. A1 - Woydt, Mathias T1 - Wear behaviour of alpha-alumina in hot steam at high contact pressure N2 - The work examines the wear behaviour of α-aluminium oxide by combining thermodynamic modelling with advanced wear testing as well as analytical methods to get a better understanding of this structural ceramic material wear behavior and its possible use in high temperature steam environment. KW - Aluminium oxide KW - Temperature KW - Hot steam KW - Diaspore KW - Ceramic KW - Wear PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2018.02.012 SN - 0043-1648 SN - 1873-2577 VL - 404-405 SP - 22 EP - 30 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-44449 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dariz, P. A1 - Jakob, C. A1 - Ectors, D. A1 - Neubauer, J. A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Measuring the Burning Temperatures of Anhydrite Micrograins in a High-Fired Medieval Gypsum Mortar N2 - Typical feature of high-fired medieval gypsum mortars is a compact microstructure of squat gypsum crystals containing firing products as remains of the calcination process. So far, the burning history of the binder is estimated based on morphological characteristics of the latter. A novel Raman microspectroscopy approach provides access to the calcination temperatures of individual anhydrite grains based on quantifiable spectroscopic changes appearing due to gradual variations of crystallinity, as independently confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis of anhydrites synthesised at temperatures between 500°C and 900°C. The approach was successfully applied to the high-fired gypsum mortar of a South Tyrolean stucco sculpture of a pieta dated around 1420. Microparticles of burned anhydrite II with firing temperatures scattered around 650°C and clusters of thermally damaged natural anhydrite II crystals from the raw material were identified and imaged. KW - Analytical methods KW - Gypsum technology KW - High-fired gypsum mortar KW - Raman microspectroscopy KW - Thermal anhydrite PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.201701260 VL - 2 IS - 28 SP - 9153 EP - 9156 PB - Wiley VCH Verlag AN - OPUS4-42458 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neuhaus, Birger A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Riedel, Jens T1 - Collection management and study of microscope slides: Storage, profiling, deterioration, restoration procedures, and general recommendations N2 - A wide range of aspects concerning microscope slides, their preparation, long-time storage, curatorial measures in collections, deterioration, restoration, and study is summarized based on our own data and by analyzing more than 600 references from the 19th century until 2016, 15 patents, and about 100 Materials Safety Data Sheets. Information from systematic zoology, conservation sciences, chemistry, forensic sciences, pathology, paleopathology, applied sciences like food industry, and most recent advances in digital imaging are put together in order to obtain a better understanding of which and possibly why mounting media and coverslip seals deteriorate, how slides can be salvaged, which studies may be necessary to identify a range of ideal mounting media, and how microscope studies can benefit from improvements in developmental biology and related fields. We also elaborate on confusing usage of concepts like that of maceration and of clearing. The chemical ingredients of a range of mounting media and coverslip seals are identified as much as possible from published data, but this information suffers in so far as the composition of a medium is often proprietary of the manufacturer and may vary over time. Advantages, disadvantages, and signs of deterioration are documented extensively for these media both from references and from our own observations. It turns out that many media degrade within a few years, or decades at the latest, except Canada balsam with a documented life-time of 150 years, Euparal with a documented life-time of 50 years, and glycerol-paraffin mounts sealed with Glyceel, which represents almost the only non-deteriorating and easily reversible mount. Deterioration reveals itself as a yellowing in natural resins and as cracking, crystallization, shrinkage on drying or possibly on loss of a plasticizer, detachment of the coverslip, segregation of the ingredients in synthetic polymers, as well as continued maceration of a specimen to a degree that the specimen virtually disappears. Confusingly, decay does not always appear equally within a collection of slides mounted at the same time in the same medium. The reasons for the deteriorative processes have been discussed but are controversial especially for gum-chloral media. Comparing data from conservation sciences, chemical handbooks, and documented ingredients, we discuss here how far chemical and physical deterioration probably are inherent to many media and are caused by the chemical and physical properties of their components and by chemicals dragged along from previous preparation steps like fixation, chemical maceration, and physical clearing. Some recipes even contain a macerating agent, which proceeds with its destructive work. We provide permeability data for oxygen and water vapor of several polymers contained in mounting media and coverslip seals. Calculation of the penetration rate of moisture in one example reveals that water molecules reach a specimen within a few days up to about a month; this lays to rest extensive discussions about the permanent protection of a mounted specimen by a mounting medium and a coverslip seal. Based on the ever growing evidence of the unsuitable composition and application of many, and possibly almost all, mounting media, we strongly encourage changing the perspective on microscope slides from immediate usability and convenience of preparation towards durability and reversibility, concepts taken from conservation sciences. Such a change has already been suggested by Upton (1993) more than 20 years ago for gum-chloral media, but these media are still encouraged nowadays by scientists. Without a new perspective, taxonomic biology will certainly lose a large amount of its specimen basis for its research within the next few decades. Modern non-invasive techniques like Raman spectroscopy may help to identify mounting media and coverslip seals on a given slide as well as to understand ageing of the media. An outlook is given on potential future studies. In order to improve the situation of existing collections of microscope slides, we transfer concepts as per the Smithsonian Collections Standards and Profiling System, developed for insect collections more than 25 years ago, to collections of slides. We describe historical and current properties and usage of glass slides, coverslips, labels, and adhesives under conservational aspects. In addition, we summarize and argue from published and our own experimental information about restorative procedures, including re-hydration of dried-up specimens previously mounted in a fluid medium. Alternatives to microscope slides are considered. We also extract practical suggestions from the literature concerning microscope equipment, cleaning of optical surfaces, health risks of immersion oil, and recent improvements of temporary observation media especially in connection with new developments in digital software. KW - Re-hydration KW - Mounting medium KW - Coverslip seal KW - Fixation KW - Maceration KW - Clearing KW - Immersion oil KW - Permeability PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-423322 SN - 978-1-77670-222-0 SN - 978-1-77670-223-7 DO - https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4322.1.1 SN - 1175-5326 VL - 4322 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 173 PB - Magnolia Press CY - Auckland, Neuseeland AN - OPUS4-42332 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wäsche, Rolf A1 - Jayachandran, Ashok Raj A1 - Brandt, Guido A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Tamura, T. A1 - Nakase, T. T1 - Tribofilm formation of a-C:H coatings under influence of temperature in boundary lubricated oscillating sliding against alumina and silicon nitride N2 - Gegenstand dieses Beitrags ist der Einfluss von Temperatur und Gegenkörperwerkstoff auf die Bildung von Tribofilmen auf a-C:H Beschichtungen. Dies wurde mit einer Kugel-Ebene Anordnung im geschmierten Kontakt untersucht. KW - a-C:H KW - Temperature KW - Tribofilm KW - Lubricated sliding KW - Alumina KW - Silicon nitride PY - 2018 SN - 0724-3472 VL - 65 IS - 5 SP - 28 EP - 37 PB - expert Verlag CY - Tübingen AN - OPUS4-46034 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rühlmann, Madlen A1 - Büchele, Dominique A1 - Ostermann, Markus A1 - Bald, Ilko A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Challenges in the quantification of nutrients in soils using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy – A case study with calcium N2 - The quantification of the elemental content in soils with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is challenging because of matrix effects strongly influencing the plasma formation and LIBS signal. Furthermore, soil heterogeneity at the micrometre scale can affect the accuracy of analytical results. In this paper, the impact of univariate and multivariate data evaluation approaches on the quantification of nutrients in soil is discussed. Exemplarily, results for calcium are shown, which reflect trends also observed for other elements like magnesium, silicon and iron. For the calibration models, 16 certified reference soils were used. With univariate and multivariate approaches, the calcium mass fractions in 60 soils from different testing grounds in Germany were calculated. The latter approach consisted of a principal component analysis (PCA) of adequately pre-treated data for classification and identification of outliers, followed by partial least squares regression (PLSR) for quantification. For validation, the soils were also characterised with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP OES) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. Deviations between the LIBS quantification results and the reference analytical results are discussed. KW - Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) KW - Soil KW - Multivariate data analysis KW - Principal component analysis (PCA) KW - Partial least squares regression (PLSR) PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sab.2018.05.003 VL - 146 SP - 115 EP - 121 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-45070 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zöllner, Moritz T. A1 - Dariz, Petra A1 - Riedel, Jens A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Dolomite and Mg Calcite as Mineral Thermometers in Mortar Binders. A High Resolution Raman Spectroscopic Study N2 - This paper suggests the use of high‐resolution Raman scattering bands of MgCa carbonates as posteriori thermometer minerals in archaeometric studies. Therefore, the thermal behavior of two dolomite samples and the hydration and carbonation reaction in air of the decomposition products were investigated by Raman microspectroscopy. The increase in the calcination temperature resulted in the formation of – Raman silent MgO and – inert Mg calcite at 700°C–750°C. In contrast, the decarbonation, hydration, and recarbonation of sample material exposed to 750°C–900°C in a muffle furnace led to the appearance of Mg‐free calcite. High spectral resolution Raman spectroscopy enabled a spectral distinction between these two groups due to differences in the band parameters (peak position, bandwidth) of the vibrational (v1, v4, L) modes of calcite. In combination with Raman microspectroscopic mapping, this spectral information represents a new approach for the estimation of burning temperatures of medieval high‐fired gypsum mortars via natural dolomite impurities. Thus, the results of this work highlight the importance and potential of Raman microspectroscopy as a thermometric tool for elucidating the thermal history of anthropogenic fired materials, with potential applications for archaeometry and art technology, as well as for quality controls in the frame of the production of mineral mortar binders and ceramics or bricks, respectively. KW - Mineral thermometry KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Dolomite KW - High-fired gypsum mortar PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630270 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.6810 SN - 1097-4555 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-63027 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Dariz, P. T1 - Shedding light onto the spectra of lime: Raman and luminescence bands of CaO, Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3 N2 - In microscopy studies of 19th-century cement stone, we found free lime in the form of darkened spherical structures, as they were described in the literature already. When trying to determine their phase composition by Raman spectroscopy, we encountered contradictive assignments in literature spectra of the lime phases CaO, Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3 and observed strong spectral features that have been ignored or erroneously assigned so far. In this study we present Raman spectra of pure lime phases and of a naturally grown calcite crystal, burnt limestone (quick lime, mainly CaO), aged slaked lime putty (mainly Ca(OH)2), and carbonated lime putty (mainly CaCO3). Based on the results, we shed light mainly onto these two questions: (1) Does CaO have a Raman spectrum? (2) Which features in the spectra are luminescence bands that could be (and already have been) misinterpreted as Raman bands? We proof our assignment of luminescence bands in lime phases by using three different laser wavelengths for excitation, and give hypotheses on the origin of the luminescence as well as practical advices on how to identify these misleading features in Raman spectra. This article is mainly addressed to users of Raman spectroscopy in different fields of material analysis who might not be aware of the presence of interfering bands in their spectra. KW - (Free) lime KW - Lime cycle KW - Lime phases KW - Calcium compounds KW - Luminescence PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.4622 SN - 0377-0486 SN - 1097-4555 VL - 46 IS - 1 SP - 141 EP - 146 PB - Wiley & Sons, Ltd. CY - Chichester AN - OPUS4-32559 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dariz, P. A1 - Schmid, Thomas T1 - Ferruginous phases in 19th century lime and cement mortars: A Raman microspectroscopic study N2 - Raman microscopic imaging was just recently introduced into the analysis of residual Roman and Portland cement grains in 19th century cement stone, displaying evidence of the experimental adaptation of contemporary technological knowledge and practice to local circumstance. Beyond calcium ferrites, this study deals with ferruginous clinker phases that are atypical compared to present-day commercial conditions of manufacture, such as iron oxides, clinopyroxenes or pyroxenoids. Analog, microtexture, mineralogy and chemical composition of pulverized ferrosilicate slag used in the course of the 19th century as mineral additive in lime mortar reflect local resource utilization, recording the melting history within the furnace and the effectiveness of the reduction process of a single smelting event. In the case of the discussed example, chemical imaging by Raman microscopy allowed deducing a lime-rich, low-silica melt exposed to fairly reducing conditions because of the detection of the pyrometallurgic phases fayalite (Fe2SiO4), kirschsteinite (CaFeSiO4) and calcioolivine (Ca2SiO4) in zoned olivine laths and (with the melilite gehlenite, Ca2Al2SiO7) in the Interstitial matrix, cross-cut by dendritic wuestite (FeO). The presented analytical approach faces the high spatial complexity of such mortar samples by microspectroscopic imaging with micrometer lateral resolution and their chemical complexity by extracting the rich chemical information content from Raman spectra. Intensity maps of marker bands provide spatial phase distributions. Furthermore, maps of peak positions can give access to the dissemination of spectroscopically similar phases of solid solution series (e.g., olivine and calcium Aluminate ferrite) as well as varying amounts of incorporated foreign cations (e.g., in hematite). KW - Residual cement grains KW - Ferrite KW - Iron oxide KW - Slag KW - Olivine KW - Raman microspectroscopy PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2017.04.009 SN - 1044-5803 SN - 1873-4189 VL - 129 SP - 9 EP - 17 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-40039 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -