A new cathodoluminescence-microscope has been developed with a considerably improved detection limit. Time-dependent luminescence intensity changes observed during electron bombardment enabled the recognition of short-lived, long-lived, and brown luminescence colour types in ~-quartz.Short-rived bottle-green or blue luminescence colours with zones of non-luminescing bands are very common in authigenic quartz overgrowths, fracture fillings or idiomorphic vein crystals. Dark brown, short-lived yellow or pink colours are often found in quartz replacing sulphate minerals. Quartz from tectonically active regions commonly exhibits a brown luminescence colour. A red luminescence colour is typical for quartz crystallized close to a volcanic dyke or sill.The causes of these different and previously poorly understood luminescence colours were investigated using heat treatment, electron bombardment and electrodiffusion. Both natural and induced brown luminescence colours reflect the presence of lattice defects (nonbonding Si-O) due to twinning, mechanical deformation, particle bombardment or extremely rapid growth. The bottle-green and blue linearly polarized luminescence colour, characterized by a plane of polarization parallel to the c-axis, both depend on the presence of interstitial cations. The yellow and red luminescence colours in ~-quartz both exhibit a plane of polarization perpendicular to the c-axis and appear to be related to the presence of trace elements in an oxidizing solution and to ferric iron respectively.

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In this work, a novel laser-produced plasma source is presented which delivers pulsed broadband soft X-radiation in the range between 100 and 1200 eV. The source was designed in view of long operating hours, high stability, and cost effectiveness. It relies on a rotating and translating metal target and achieves high stability through an on-line monitoring device using a four quadrant extreme ultraviolet diode in a pinhole camera arrangement. The source can be operated with three different laser pulse durations and various target materials and is equipped with two beamlines for simultaneous experiments. Characterization measurements are presented with special emphasis on the source position and emission stability of the source. As a first application, a near edge X-ray absorption fine structure measurement on a thin polyimide foil shows the potential of the source for soft X-ray spectroscopy.

Manufacturing of nanomaterials (NMs) is often complex and expensive, and their environmental risks are poorly understood or even unknown. An economization of testing NMs is therefore desirable, which can be achieved by miniaturizing test systems. However, the downsizing of test vessels and volumes can enlarge the surface/volume ratio (SVR) which in turn can affect the bioavailable concentration of adsorbing substances like NMs. The present study focused on the miniaturization of the acute toxicity test with Daphnia magna. The adaptations were verified with three reference substances, the non-adsorbing potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) and as potentially highly-adsorbing substances silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver nitrate (AgNO3). The miniaturized test was conducted in 24-well microtiter plates (MT) and simultaneously compared to the OECD standard test (ST). Furthermore, the test duration was prolonged from 48 to 96 h since NMs tend to show effects only after extended exposure. The toxicity of K2Cr2O7 and AgNPs continued to increase within the prolonged test span. The test comparisons with K2Cr2O7 did not reveal any significant differences between ST and MT. AgNO3 toxicity was significantly decreased in MT compared to ST due to the enlarged SVR. The toxicity of AgNPs in MT after 24 h was equal to ST. Contrary to our expectations an exposure longer than 24 h resulted in an increase of AgNP toxicity in MT, possibly due to enhanced dissolution of silver. Microtiter plates are appropriate alternative test vessels for the Daphnia sp. acute toxicity test; thus, its miniaturization is feasible. The enlarged SVR has to be taken into account since it can affect the toxicity of potentially adsorbing substances. Furthermore, the standard test duration of 48 h might underestimate the toxicity of many substances, especially of NMs.

This work reports laboratory angle resolved XRF measurements with the goal of establishing laboratory techniques to obtain a more complete idea of the intralayer composition of multilayer samples.