@inproceedings{RivoltaBassoCivitanietal.2022, author = {Rivolta, Giacomo and Basso, Stefano and Civitani, Marta Maria and Cotroneo, Vincenzo and D{\"o}hring, Thorsten and Michler, Willy-Leopold and Pareschi, Giovanni and Spiga, Daniele and Stollenwerk, Manfred}, title = {Upgrade of a laboratory X-ray diffractometer to extend its operating range towards soft energies}, series = {Proceedings of SPIE}, volume = {2022}, booktitle = {Proceedings of SPIE}, number = {12181}, publisher = {SPIE}, organization = {Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera}, issn = {0277-786X}, doi = {doi: 10.1117/12.2629940}, pages = {121814S-1 -- 121814s-7}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The optical properties of X-ray mirror samples are commonly measured using diffractometers based on laboratory sources; like the Bede D1 diffractometer operating at INAF-OAB. This instrument can generate a collimated X-ray beam up to 60 keV, even though the most interesting energy region for x-ray astronomy applications is usually below 10 keV. In the softest part of this range (below 6 keV), high X-ray absorption in air hinders a full and precise characterization of optical components. In this work, we present an upgrade of the Bede D1 diffractometer that extends the operative range of the instrument below 6 keV; this is done by maximizing the flux at lowest energies and by reducing absorption by means of a helium-rich atmosphere. The upgraded instrument will be used for the tests of X-ray mirrors with innovative soft X-ray coatings, with potential application to the next generation X-ray telescopes (such as ATHENA and eXTP).}, subject = {R{\"o}ntgenspiegel}, language = {en} } @article{CotroneoBassoCivitanietal.2025, author = {Cotroneo, Vicenzo and Basso, Stefano and Civitani, Marta and D{\"o}hring, Thorsten and Gibertini, Eugenio and Iovenitti, Simone and Magagnin, Luca and Pareschi, Giovanni and Sironi, Giorgia and Spiga, Daniele and Tagliaferri, Gianpiero and Valsecchi, Giuseppe}, title = {Polydopamine Coatings for Enhanced Soft X-Ray Reflectivity in Space Telescope Mirrors}, series = {ECS Meeting Abstracts}, volume = {MA2025-02}, journal = {ECS Meeting Abstracts}, number = {67}, publisher = {The Electrochemical Society}, issn = {2151-2043}, doi = {10.1149/MA2025-02673247mtgabs}, pages = {3247 -- 3247}, year = {2025}, abstract = {It has been known for years that sputtered low-density coatings deposited under vacuum (e.g. carbon or B4C), applied on top of high-density metallic coatings, can enhance their reflectivity in the soft X-ray band (below ~5 keV). However, the physical deposition techniques, as vacuum-based sputtering, to produce B4C or amorphous coatings are usually difficult and highly costing. Polydopamine (PDA), a bio-polymer inspired by mussels, exhibits exceptional surface binding and it's nowadays a popular material used in surface engineering for multipurpose applications (Ryu, 2018). PDA thin film are typically produced in aqueous solution by the oxidative polymerization of dopamine, commonly known as one of the "hormones of happiness", resulting in nanometric PDA coating with tunable thickness and morphology. In recent years, we have introduced and investigated a novel and scalable strategy for enhancing the soft X-ray reflectivity of telescope mirrors used in space missions based on dip-liquid deposition of PDA thin films as carbon-rich coating (carbon 62.7 \%wt. in DA monomer) (Cotroneo, 2022). This method is very versatile and quick and offers a low-cost alternative to conventional carbon-like coating, while maintaining or even exceeding performance in the energy range below ~5 keV. Experimental tests across three X-ray beamlines—including two synchrotron facilities—demonstrated consistent reflectivity enhancement, especially in the 1-4 keV energy range and with a good match between theoretical predictions and experimental reflectivity profiles. When applied over traditional coatings (e.g Au, Ir), the dip-liquid overcoats produced improvements of up to 100\% in effective area for some specific X-ray bands compared to conventional single-metal films. These results are particularly compelling for nickel-replicated mirrors with gold coatings, a common architecture in cost-sensitive space missions. Bibliography Cotroneo, V., 2022. Dopamine dip-liquid overcoatings for soft x-ray reflectivity enhancement. SPIE Proceedings. Ryu, J. H., 2018. Polydopamine Surface Chemistry: A Decade of Discovery. ACS Applied Materials \& Interfaces.}, subject = {R{\"o}ntgenteleskop}, language = {en} }