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Portuguese museums and private collectors gather a variety of Italian glazed terracotta sculptures attributed to the della Robbia workshop, particularly active between the 15th and 16th centuries. Compositional studies of the paste using INAA, PGAA and XRD and enamel using PIXE, and luminescence protocols, were used as a tool to ascertain the attribution of the sculptures to della Robbia workshop. Geochemical and mineralogical patterns were defined enabling to express the production recipe. The luminescence ages were found to be between 1380 and 1640 in some cases with high uncertainties. The compositions of the blue glazes were proved to be similar to other measured on della Robbia sculptures from French and Italian collections based on cobalt pigments. Arsenic behaviour, which is associated to cobalt in most cobalt-minerals, is rather peculiar, as it was already found in other della Robbia sculptures enabling a chronological framework, pointing to a production after 1520. Based on the results, most of the analysed sculptures implies a della Robbia production, and only a few point to a composition and chronology not related with that workshop. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia support through the UID/Multi/04349/2013 and PTDC/HIS/HEC/116742/2010 projects; H2020 CHARISMA funded (Grant Agreement no. 228330) project at Budapest Neutron Center; FB, MNAA, MNAz, FCG, MJ for sampling and field measurements. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Turquoise covered mosaic objects - especially masks - were attractive components of treasures transported to Europe from Mexico after the fall of the Aztec Empire in the 1500s. According to our present knowledge, the mosaic masks were manufactured for ritual purpose. The main material of mosaics, the turquoise was a high-prestige semi-precious stone among Mexican native people. During the 20

The present paper describes the merits of the combined neutron-based elemental analysis and neutron imaging techniques, called prompt-gamma activation imaging – neutron tomography (PGAI-NT), and illustrates its application to cultural heritage science with relevant case studies. The approach is proven to be best applicable to samples with corroded/layered/gilded/painted/coated structures where the surface weighted response would bias the analysis results obtained with simpler, more widespread, but less representative techniques (such as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy or laser-ablation ICP-MS), as well as to answer questions related to the inner composition of a sealed object.

Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis has successfully been applied to provenance research on Carpathian obsidians. The effectiveness of PGAA and a portable XRF device in discriminations of Carpathian, Lipari, Sardinia and Melos origin obsidians was compared on 75 representative geological samples obtained from the Lihotheca Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. Bivariate analyses and Principal Component Analysis have been made based on the individual PGAA and XRF data, as well as on the combination of both data types. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis was also applied on a group of 17 samples. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed to determine the best possible way of investigations to fingerprint and characterize long-distance trade items with minimal damage to the samples.

The study discusses an unpublished bronze hoard from the famous West Hungarian archaeological site: Velem-Szent Vid (Transdanubia, Vas County). This small Ha B1 assemblage contains a spearhead with remains of the wooden shaft, a sickle, and three different types of ingots. Our aim was a comprehensive structural and compositional characterization of the preserved objects from the hoard exclusively by means of non-invasive and non-destructive analytical, structural, and imaging techniques (XRF, PGAA, TOF-ND, Neutron Imaging, X-ray Imaging). The spearhead and the ingots were studied from production to deposition. Our results suggest that the spearhead was a good quality cast with relatively high Sn content and extremely low porosity rate. It received a minimal post-casting treatment, and hafted similarly to West European Late Bronze Age spearheads. Based on use-wear traces caused by blade-on-blade contact and edge-vs-flat collision, this weapon may have been used in parrying situation. After being used most likely just for a short period, the metal and wooden parts of weapon were intentionally destroyed by plastic deformation prior to deposition. Ingots selected to the Velem-Szent Vid hoard were cast in open one-piece moulds or ‘improvised’ moulds carved to the surfaces or berms of the metallurgical workshop. They have not been partitioned further after casting, but selected for deposition. The elemental composition data of the ingots revealed high quantity of Pb and Sb. The ratio of Pb in the miniature plano-convex ingot (89 ± 0.3 m%) and the rod ingot (94 ± 0.3 m%) was so high that they can be identified as lead ingots, a rare raw material type during the Late Bronze Age. One out of the analysed three ingots, the elemental composition of the cuboid ingot was the most complex, containing high Pb (13–37 m%) and Sb (0.6–6.2 m%) based on PGAA. Chalcocite (Cu2S) was identified by TOF-ND, which points to the possible origin of the raw material or production method (smelting). Our study suggests that this hoard was a combination of a professionally cast spearhead, used and destroyed intentionally along with a fragmented sickle, and three rare and valuable ingots made of specific materials, which were not used after casting. All of them were deposited together in a votive hoard in a central, multi-hoard settlement. Their treatment and selection followed local hoarding traditions practiced in Velem-Szent Vid and its related areas in Transdanubia.

Catalytic wet oxidation of N,N-dimethylformamide was tested in designed experiments without and with Ru–Ir on Ti mesh monolith catalysts. The rate and selectivity of the reactions were compared with the usual DOE evaluation of the data. The commercial catalyst and its reduced version, before and after usage were characterized with PGAA, TPR, SEM with EDX, XPS techniques. The catalytic reaction rates were significantly higher than the thermal one. During ∼55 h usage the precious metal loss was insignificant. The active surface can have dual nature, containing both oxide and metallic sites independently from the starting state of the catalysts.

The morphological and compositional analysis of fossils provides essential knowledge about the classification and development of the species and about the environmental aspects during and after the life of the exemplar. We developed and applied a beyond-state-of-the-art combination of three-dimensional surface and volumetric digital imaging techniques, as well as position-resolved element composition analysis on Parascutella gibbercula species excavated in Hungary to scrutinize their shapes and internal structures. This study opens the perspective to a better understanding of the sedimentation conditions of the Paratethyan realm in Miocene.

The Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC) is a consortium of institutes to co-ordinate research activities carried out at the Budapest Research Reactor. It hosts two neutron imaging facilities (RAD and NORMA) operated by the Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and offers access to this scientific infrastructure for the domestic and international users. The radiography station (RAD) at the thermal neutron beamline of the reactor gives a possibility to study relatively large objects by thermal neutron-, gamma- and X-ray radiography, and to benefit from the complementary features of the different radiations. RAD is being extended in 2014 with digital imaging and tomographic capabilities. The image detection is based on suitable converter screens. The static radiography and tomography images are acquired by a new, large area sCMOS camera, whereas the dynamic radiography is accomplished by a low-light-level TV camera and a frame grabber card. The NORMA facility is designed to perform neutron radiography and tomography on small samples using guided cold neutrons. Here two non-destructive techniques are coupled to determine the chemical composition and to visualize the internal structure of heterogeneous objects. The position-sensitive element analysis with prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) and the imaging with neutron radiography/tomography (NR/NT) are integrated into a unique facility called NIPS-NORMA. The goal of such a combination of these methods is to save substantial beam time in the so-called NR/NT-driven PGAI (Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging) mode, in which the interesting regions are first visualized and located, and subsequently the time-consuming prompt-gamma measurements are made only where it is really needed. The paper will give an overview about the technical details of the facilities, and the latest results of selected applications from the fields of archaeometry, engineering and material science.

SiO2 supported Ag–Au bimetallic catalysts were prepared by sol adsorption method with 10/90, 20/80, 33/67, and 50/50 Ag/Au molar ratios. Reduction of HAuCl4 in Ag sol resulted in alloyed Ag–Au colloid particles and that structure remained after calcination and reduction treatment. The alloy structure of the catalysts was confirmed by UV–visible spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The Au–Ag bimetallic effect and its dependence on the Ag/Au molar ratio was studied in glucose oxidation where synergistic activity increase was observed compared to the Au/SiO2 reference sample in the case of the bimetallic samples with less than Ag/Au = 50/50 molar ratio. The Ag/SiO2 was inactive at the same conditions. The Ag/Au surface atomic ratios – calculated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) – were slightly higher than in the bulk—determined by prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA). The higher activity of the bimetallic samples is suggested to be caused by the improved O2 activating ability provided by Ag sites. The further increase of Ag loading above the optimal concentration may dilute or cover the Au to such an extent that the number of gold ensembles necessary for glucose activation decreases deteriorating the activity.