TY - CONF A1 - Zöllner, Moritz T1 - Thermal decomposition of dolomite: Raman spectroscopy as a thermometric tool for the analysis of carbonates in mortar binders. N2 - The reconstruction of the thermal history of minerals is an on-going challenge in the study of anthropogenic materials, e.g., ceramics and mortar binders. For millennia carbonate rocks have been used as the starting material, though the exact manufacturing procedures are often unknown. Preparatory parameters such as firing temperature, heating and cooling rates, soaking time, and kiln atmosphere greatly influence the chemical and structural properties of the resulting products. Analysis of replicas produced under well-defined laboratory conditions help identify indicators for such process parameters and therefore provide valuable insights into historical production workflows. Raman micro-spectroscopy is a valuable method here because of its high sensitivity for crystal-chemical alterations coupled with a high spatial resolution. Previous studies on pyrogenic anhydrite were able to distinguish between gypsum materials that were heated at different temperatures between 400 – 900 °C [1, 2]. The results of thermal experiments with natural dolomite powder between 500 – 900 °C are presented, evaluating the thermal decomposition of dolomite and the consequent formation of calcium carbonate. Raman measurements were performed at room temperature on calcinated samples, as well as subsequently hydrated and re-carbonated samples. A peak-fitting routine using python scripts was employed to extract the peak positions and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of the ν1-, ν4- and L-bands of the carbonates. The results reveal the formation of Mg-calcite from dolomite at 700 – 750 °C and the formation of Mg-free calcite after calcination above 750 °C and subsequent hydration and re-carbonation. The findings from the thermal experiments are compared with Raman-microscopy mappings on medieval and reenacted mortars containing dolomite. Mg-calcite with comparable peak position and FWHM values have been successfully identified, proving Raman spectroscopy to be a suitable tool for elucidating the manufacturing procedures of anthropogenic materials. T2 - European Mineralogical Conference 2024 CY - Dublin, Ireland DA - 18.08.2024 KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Dolomite KW - Mineral thermometry PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61975 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zöllner, Moritz T1 - Thermal decomposition of dolomite: Raman spectroscopy as a thermometric tool for the analysis of carbonates in mortar binders. N2 - High-spectral resolution Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the chemical and structural analysis in material sciences. Beyond its usage for the qualitative identification of minerals, Raman spectroscopy has been applied for the quantitative characterisation of chemical phases. The precise measurement of Raman peak position and band width values allows for an empirical differentiation of chemically similar phases and thus provides valuable insights to the structural properties of a material. In the field of archaeometry, the crystal structure of minerals can be used to elucidate the preparatory parameters of historical samples, such as the firing temperature. Comparison of historical materials with replicas produced under well-defined laboratory conditions help identify indicators for such process parameters. Previous Raman studies on pyrogenic anhydrite were able to distinguish between gypsum materials that were heated at different temperatures between 400–900 °C [1–3]. The results of thermal experiments with natural dolomite powder between 500–900 °C are presented, evaluating the thermal decomposition of dolomite and the consequent formation of calcium carbonate. Raman measurements were performed with excitation at 532 nm and 1800 mm-1 grating at room temperature on calcinated samples, as well as subsequently hydrated and re-carbonated samples. These high-resolution conditions are necessary to resolve the individual spectral contributions of different calcium/magnesium carbonate species. However, this sensitivity does not come without potential pitfalls. While the usage of micro-Raman spectroscopy with high spectral resolution shows great promise for evaluating minor shifts in peak positions and band widths, several technical aspects must be considered. For example, great care must be taken to exclude the thermal impact of the highly focused Raman laser on the sample. Similarly, exact standard operating procedures have to be followed to circumvent mechanical hysteresis in the alignment of the spectrographs’ grating. The influence of these two effects is presented and effective countermeasures are introduced to avoid resulting systematic errors. Statistical reliability and chemical imaging both rely on the individual analysis of thousands of Raman spectra. Thus, besides the spectral acquisition, also highly automated data analysis must be applied. Therefore, a peak-fitting routine using python scripts was employed to extract the peak positions and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of the ν1-, ν4- and L-bands of the carbonates. The results reveal the formation of Mg-calcite from dolomite at 700–750 °C and the formation of Mg-free calcite after calcination above 750 °C and subsequent hydration and re-carbonation (Fig. 1a). The findings from the thermal experiments are compared with Raman-microscopy mappings on medieval and reenacted mortars containing dolomite. Mg-calcite with comparable peak position and FWHM values have been successfully identified (Fig. 1b), proving Raman spectroscopy to be a suitable tool for elucidating the manufacturing procedures of anthropogenic materials. T2 - 16th GeoRAMAN Conference CY - Rhodes, Greece DA - 24.09.2024 KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Dolomite KW - Mineral thermometry PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61977 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zöllner, Moritz T1 - Thermal decomposition of dolomite: Raman spectroscopy as a thermometric tool for the analysis of carbonates in mortar binders N2 - The reconstruction of the thermal history of minerals is an on-going challenge in the study of anthropogenic materials, e.g., ceramics and mortar binders. For millennia carbonate rocks have been used as the starting material, though the exact manufacturing procedures are often unknown. Preparatory parameters such as firing temperature, heating and cooling rates, soaking time, and kiln atmosphere greatly influence the chemical and structural properties of the resulting products. Analysis of replicas produced under well-defined laboratory conditions help identify indicators for such process parameters and therefore provide valuable insights into historical production workflows. Raman micro-spectroscopy is a valuable method here because of its high sensitivity for crystal-chemical alterations coupled with a high spatial resolution. Previous studies on pyrogenic anhydrite were able to distinguish between gypsum materials that were heated at different temperatures between 400–900 °C [1-3]. The results of thermal experiments with natural dolomite powder between 500–900 °C are presented, evaluating the thermal decomposition of dolomite and the consequent formation of calcium carbonate. Raman measurements were performed at room temperature on calcinated samples, as well as subsequently hydrated and re-carbonated samples. Raman band positions and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of the ν1-, ν4- and L-bands of the carbonates are extracted and reveal the formation of Mg-calcite from dolomite at 700–750 °C and the formation of Mg-free calcite after calcination above 750 °C and subsequent hydration and re-carbonation. The findings from the thermal experiments are compared with Raman-microscopy mappings on medieval and reenacted mortars containing dolomite. Mg-calcite with comparable peak position and FWHM values have been successfully identified, proving Raman spectroscopy to be a suitable tool for elucidating the manufacturing procedures of anthropogenic materials. T2 - SciX 2024 CY - Raleigh, NC, USA DA - 20.10.2024 KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Dolomite KW - Mineral thermometry PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61978 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zöllner, Moritz T1 - Raman spectroscopy as a thermometric tool for the analysis of mortar binders N2 - The reconstruction of the thermal history of anthropogenic materials is crucial for understanding historical manufacturing techniques. Preparatory parameters such as firing temperature, heating and cooling rates, soaking time, and kiln atmosphere significantly affect the chemical and structural properties of the final product. Comparing historical materials with replicas produced under well-defined laboratory conditions helps identify indicators for these parameters. This comparative approach is greatly enhanced by spectroscopic analyses. Raman spectroscopy has proven to be a powerful tool in this field due to its high sensitivity to crystal-chemical alterations and high spatial resolution. The results of thermal experiments with gypsum and carbonate raw materials at burning temperatures up to 1000 °C are presented. Precise measurements of Raman peak positions and Raman band widths enable the differentiation of chemically similar phases. Changes in the Raman band parameters are evident even after the subsequent hydration-hardening process of the fired samples, allowing the spectral discrimination of samples treated at different temperatures steps. These findings from the thermal experiments are further applied to Raman micro-spectroscopic mappings of medieval and reenacted mortars. The extracted Raman band parameters show comparable values between the experimental and real-life samples, proving Raman spectroscopy as a suitable tool for estimating the burning temperature and thus elucidating the manufacturing procedures of anthropogenic materials. T2 - Jahrestagung Archäometrie und Denkmalpflege 2025 CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 18.03.2025 KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Mineral thermometry PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62778 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - You, Zengchao T1 - Multi-element analysis in different matrices using nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure plasma mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) N2 - Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) emerged as a powerful technique for trace analysis of soil due to its multi-element capability, high sensitivity and low sample consumption. However, despite its success and widespread use, ICP-MS has several persistent drawbacks, such as high argon gas consumption, argon-based polyatomic interferences and the need for complicated RF-power generators. Unlike argon-based ICP, the nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) uses nitrogen as plasma gas, which eliminates high operating costs associated with argon-gas consumption as well as the argon-based interferences1. In this work, the applicability of MICAP-MS for elemental analysis in different matrices is investigated. For this purpose, reference soil samples and steel samples are digested with aqua regia and used for analysis. Concentrations of selected elements are determined using MICAP-MS and validated with ICP-MS und certified values. Sensitivities, limits of detection and gas consumption for both methods are compared and discussed in detail. Performance of MICAP-MS under different nitrogen plasma gas concentrations is investigated and compared. Moreover, the performance of MICAP-MS in alloy matrices is investigated and discussed. T2 - EWCPS 2023 CY - Ljubljana, Slovenia DA - 29.01.2023 KW - Microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) KW - Multi-element analysis KW - Soil KW - Steel KW - Nitrogen plasma PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-56994 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - You, Zengchao T1 - Determination of calcium, iron, and selenium in human serum by isotope dilution analysis using MICAP-MS N2 - Trace elemental analysis in human serum is integral in both clinical and research settings. Analyzing the level of some specific elements like Se and Zn helps indicate the nutritional and health status. Furthermore, elucidating the roles of trace elements in various physiological and pathological conditions can shed light on disease mechanisms and potential treatments. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) stands out as a preeminent method for trace elemental analysis, given its exceptional sensitivity and minimal sample requirements. However, ICP-MS has challenges, such as argon-related interferences that hinder the accurate quantification of elements like Ca, Fe, and Se. The naturally most abundant isotopes of Ca (40Ca), Fe (56Fe), and Se (80Se) are subject to isobaric interference from 40Ar+, 40Ar16O+, and 40Ar2+, thereby complicating their direct measurement and preventing isotope dilution analysis. In response to these challenges, nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) emerges as a viable alternative to ICP-MS, eliminating argon consumption and associated interferences. This study employed MICAP-MS to quantify Ca, Fe, and Se in 11 certified reference human serums using matrix-matched calibration and isotope dilution with the isotopes 40Ca, 56Fe, and 80Se. The results obtained with both methods were validated against certified values, and the suitability of MICAP-MS for isotope dilution was evaluated. Additionally, the performance of MICAP-MS in the Na matrix was investigated and discussed alongside the impact of organic species. T2 - Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry 2024 CY - Tucson, AZ, USA DA - 15.01.2024 KW - MICAP-MS KW - Isotope-dilution KW - Human serum PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60210 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - You, Zengchao T1 - Multi element analysis in soil using nitrogen microwave inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MICAP MS) N2 - Due to the fast growth of industry and the use of metal-containing compounds such as sewage sludge in agricultural fields, soil pollution associated with heavy metals presents a terrifying threat to the environment. Throughout the world, there are already 5 million sites of soil contaminated by heavy metals1. Some heavy metals pollutants can influence food chain safety and food quality, which in turn affects human health. According to the German Federal Soil Protection and Contaminated Site Ordinance (BBodSchV) 13 heavy metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are classified as heavily toxic to human health2. Therefore, elemental analysis and precise quantification of the heavy metals in soil are of great importance. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) emerged as a powerful technique for trace analysis of soil due to its multi-element capability, high sensitivity and low sample consumption. However, despite its success and widespread use, ICP-MS has several persistent drawbacks, such as high argon gas consumption, argon-based polyatomic interferences and the need for complicated RF-power generators. Unlike argon-based ICP, the nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) uses nitrogen as plasma gas, which eliminates high operating costs associated with argon-gas consumption as well as the argon-based interferences3. For the first time, the applicability of MICAP-MS for elemental analysis of environmental soils is investigated in this work. For this purpose, 7 reference- and 3 random soil samples containing vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), zink (Zn), copper (Cu), chrome (Cr), mercury (Hg), As, Pb and Cd are digested with aqua regia and used for analysis. Concentrations of selected elements are determined using MICAP-MS and validated using ICP-MS. Sensitivities, limits of detection and gas consumption for both methods are compared and discussed in detail. Moreover, the performance of MICAP-MS under different nitrogen plasma gas concentrations is investigated and compared. T2 - BAM Adlershofer Kolloquium CY - Online meeting DA - 21.06.2022 KW - Microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) KW - Multi-element analysis KW - Soil KW - Nitrogen plasma PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55182 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - You, Zengchao T1 - Multi element analysis in soil using nitrogen microwave inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MICAP MS) N2 - Due to the fast growth of industry and the use of metal-containing compounds such as sewage sludge in agricultural fields, soil pollution associated with heavy metals presents a terrifying threat to the environment. Throughout the world, there are already 5 million sites of soil contaminated by heavy metals1. Some heavy metals pollutants can influence food chain safety and food quality, which in turn affects human health. According to the German Federal Soil Protection and Contaminated Site Ordinance (BBodSchV) 13 heavy metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are classified as heavily toxic to human health2. Therefore, elemental analysis and precise quantification of the heavy metals in soil are of great importance. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) emerged as a powerful technique for trace analysis of soil due to its multi-element capability, high sensitivity and low sample consumption. However, despite its success and widespread use, ICP-MS has several persistent drawbacks, such as high argon gas consumption, argon-based polyatomic interferences and the need for complicated RF-power generators. Unlike argon-based ICP, the nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) uses nitrogen as plasma gas, which eliminates high operating costs associated with argon-gas consumption as well as the argon-based interferences3. For the first time, the applicability of MICAP-MS for elemental analysis of environmental soils is investigated in this work. For this purpose, 7 reference- and 3 random soil samples containing vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), zink (Zn), copper (Cu), chrome (Cr), mercury (Hg), As, Pb and Cd are digested with aqua regia and used for analysis. Concentrations of selected elements are determined using MICAP-MS and validated using ICP-MS. Sensitivities, limits of detection and gas consumption for both methods are compared and discussed in detail. Moreover, the performance of MICAP-MS under different nitrogen plasma gas concentrations is investigated and compared T2 - Spectroscopium Colloquium CY - Gijon, Spain DA - 30.05.2022 KW - Microwave inductively coupled atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry (MICAP-MS) KW - Multi-element analysis KW - Soil KW - Nitrogen plasma PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55181 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - You, Yi T1 - Acoustic Ion Manipulation (AIM) N2 - The precise control of gaseous ions is a cornerstone in ion-based spectrometry and other disciplines such as materials processing. Traditional high-pressure ion optics rely on electrostatic and magnetic fields that often demand the use of intense electric fields, radio frequency activation, complex geometrical arrangements, or partially transmissive grids. Consequently, the efficiencies of such devices tend to be low or they require large footprints, as ion motions under ambient conditions are governed aerodynamically by collisions and fluid dynamics. However, from a different perspective and holistic reasoning, the limitations posed by collisions, aerodynamics, and other factors that hinder ion control in the open-air suggested an innovative direction for ion manipulation. Our study introduces a novel method that employs low-power standing acoustic waves to effectively manipulate ion beams. We observe that ions distinctively prefer traveling through areas of static pressure within the acoustic field, identified as "nodes." In contrast, neutral gases are unaffected by the acoustic field structure and continue to move along a straight trajectory. We have named this method Acoustic Ion Manipulation (AIM). Initial studies demonstrated selective and efficient manipulations of ion with AIM, including gating, redirection, regional dispersion, and focusing. This technique broadens the scope of ion manipulation strategies at high pressures while enriching our fundamental understanding of ion-acoustic kinetics. The potential applications of this method are vast, promising significant advancements in the fields of analytical chemistry, environmental science, and beyond. T2 - ANAKON 2025 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 10.03.2025 KW - Acoustic ion manipulation KW - Mass spectrometry PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64110 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - You, Yi T1 - MicroPhase: An Open-Source Flexible Ultrasonic Phased Array Based on Microcontrollers N2 - The use of resonant acoustic fields has gained significant attention due to their capability for contactless manipulation of objects in the open air and other media, referred to as ultrasonic levitation. To overcome the limitations in air-coupling efficiency, Langevin-type ultrasonic transducers are often employed, as they can operate at relatively high power, ranging from several tens to thousands of watts. However, such platforms typically lack the ability to move acoustically trapped objects efficiently, often requiring additional mechanical structures for even basic motion control, such as translation. In contrast, ultrasonic phased arrays offer clear advantages by leveraging their inherent beam-forming capabilities, which allows for dynamic shaping of acoustic fields in situ. Unfortunately, phased array control systems are not readily accessible, particularly when specific geometric or performance criteria must be met. Most commercially available phased array controllers are designed to operate in the MHz range; those are suitable only for high acoustic impedance media, such as water. Conversely, platforms for open-air applications typically utilize ultrasonic speakers operating at 40 kHz. In both cases, these systems are built on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). However, interfacing FPGAs with computers and developing FPGA firmware (e.g., in VHDL) can be technically demanding, and analog components such as power amplifiers further complicate the system design. These limitations severely restrained the use of flexible ultrasonic levitations in analytical chemistry. Here, we present a novel platform for controlling ultrasonic phased arrays using single modern microcontrollers. This platform leverages the connectivity features of microcontrollers, allowing straightforward interfacing with computers via common programming languages (e.g., Python). The system employs fast direct memory access (DMA) to control up-to 256 ultrasonic transducers with a resolution of 0.5 µs, which is suitable for air-based applications in the 20-50 kHz range. Additionally, the platform can interface with traditional Langevin-type transducers, enabling their conversion into phased arrays. Optical characterization of acoustic field optimization is also discussed. T2 - ANAKON 2025 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 10.03.2025 KW - Acoustic ion manipulation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64112 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -