Investigation of the Pigments and Glassy Matrix of Painted Enamelled Qing Dynasty Chinese Porcelains by Noninvasive On-Site Raman Microspectrometry

A selection of 15 Chinese painted enameled porcelains from the 18th century (Qing dynasty) was analyzed on-site by mobile Raman and XRF microspectroscopy. The highly prized artifacts are present in the collections of the Musée du Louvre in Paris and Musée Chinois at Fontainebleau Castle in France. In the painted enamels, pigments such as Naples yellow lead pyrochlore, hematite, manganese oxide and carbon and opacifiers such as lead arsenates were detected. The glassy matrices of the enamels mainly belonged to lead-rich and lead-alkali glass types according to the Raman spectra obtained. The glaze and body phases of the porcelain artifacts were also analyzed. The detection of lead arsenate apatite in some of the blue enamels was significant, indicating the use of arsenic-rich European cobalt ores (smalt) and possibly mixing with Asian cobalt. This characteristic phase has also been identified in French soft-paste porcelains and glass decor and high-quality Limoges enamels from the same period. Based on the shape of the Raman scattering background, the presence of colloidal gold (Au° nanoparticles) was identified in red, orange and pink enamels. Different types of Naples yellow pigments were also detected with Sb-rich, Sn-rich and mixed Sb–Sn–(Zn, Fe?) compositions in the yellow enamels. The results were compared to previous data obtained on Chinese cloisonné and painted enameled metalware and Limoges enamels as well as French enameled watches.

Effect of Transition Metals Oxide Additives on the Properties of Mixed-Alkali Glass for Electric Insulating Coatings on Aluminum

In order to reduce the cost of the thick-film technology of microcircuits and heating elements, as well as to expand its areas of use, it became necessary to expand the range of materials that, along with ceramics and steel, can also be used as substrates for these products. One of these advanced materials is aluminum. Electrically insulated coatings on metals are subjected to repeated heating and cooling while their produce and use, which promotes the creation of temperature stresses in the coating and leads to their chipping. Therefore, in order to improve the water resistance and adhesion strength of electrical insulation coatings on aluminum, CuO, ZrO2 and Bi2O3 additives were examined. There was found an increase in water resistance with a simultaneous increase in the adhesion strength of the enamel coating with an aluminum substrate with the addition of not more than 3 pts. wt. of copper oxide (II), up to 1 pts. wt. of zirconium oxide (IV), and up to 4 pts. wt. of bismuth oxide (III) w.r.t. 100 pts. wt. of glass.

Deposition of Tungsten-Doped V2O5 Thin Films on Non-Alkali Glass Substrate by RF Magnetron Sputtering for Thermal Insulation

The thermal insulation function of tungsten-doped vanadium dioxide (V2O5) thin films deposited on non-alkali glass substrate using RF magnetron sputtering was analyzed in this study. Grinded hot-dry V2O5 and tungsten powders, mixed in weight ratio of 98.1:1.9 or 97:3, were pressed at 800 psi for 10 min. These compounds were sintered at 550 or 600 °C for 8 hours, in oxygen gas environments (10 sccm and 0 sccm), to several W-doped V2O5 targets. The surface morphologies of these targets were analyzed by a SEM, and the crystal structure was characterized by a XRD. The experimental studies with reference to the thermal insulation property of V2O5 were conducted under various duration of deposition, substrate temperatures, rf powers and duration of annealing time. The influence of these factors was investigated using the Taguchi method, an orthogonal array L8. The results show that the targets contain a more homogenous structure and a larger grain size with higher oxygen gas flow rate. With a deposition-parameter combination of 60 min (duration of deposition), 300°C (substrate temperature), 150 W (rf power) and 60 min (duration of annealing time), the optimal thermal insulation temperature, 19.3°C, was observed.

The application of LIBS and other techniques on Chinese low temperature glaze

ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is on analysis, comparison and research on the colorful low-temperature, lead-containing overglazes on glazed porcelain body and on the enamel glazes on the metal body of the Qing Dynasty by adopting several analytical methods. Analysis and tests on the element, boron in overglaze on glazed porcelain body and enamel glaze on metal body, were performed using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and the results showed that Cloisonné enamel, painted enamel and Falangcai samples contained boron, while Famille Rose (Fencai) samples did not contain boron. Meanwhile, such analysis methods as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXRF), Micro-Raman, stereomicroscope and Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to test and observe the element composition, crystal composition and microstructure of the samples. The results illustrated that matrix glaze of Cloisonné enamel, painted enamel and Falangcai was the same. The yellow glaze was a lead-alkali glass and other color glazes were boron-lead-alkali glass, while all color glazes of Famille Rose were lead-alkali glass. Colorful low-temperature overglaze on glazed porcelain body and enamel glaze on metal body had a common practice and technology in the use of opacifiers and colorants. Compared to painted enamel, the painting technique of Famille Rose was more complicated, and effect was apparently praised as being superior.

Alkali element background reduction in laser ICP-MS

Alkali backgrounds in laser ablation ICP-MS analyses can be enhanced by electron-induced ionisation of alkali contamination on the skimmer cone, reducing effective detection limits for these elements. Traditionally, this problem is addressed by isolating analyses of high-alkali materials onto a designated cone set, or by operating the ICP-MS in a "soft extraction" mode, which reduces the energy of electrons repelled into the potentially contaminated sampling cone by the extraction field. Here we present a novel approach, where we replace the traditional alkali glass tuning standards with synthetic low-alkali glass reference materials. Using this vitreous tuning solution, we find that this approach reduces the amount of alkali contamination produced, halving backgrounds for the heavy alkali elements without any change to analytical procedures. Using segregated cones is still the most effective method for reducing lithium backgrounds, but since the procedures are complimentary, both can easily be applied to the routine operations of an analytical lab.