A specimen containing nanograms of sulfur, calcium, and 3d transition metal elements was measured by incident X-ray beams of various sizes restricted by a waveguide placed in a portable TXRF spectrometer. The signal to background ratios of spectra decreased with an increase in incident X-ray beam size. The portable spectrometer was also applied to rainwater and a specimen containing antimony and rare earth elements. Nanograms of elements in these specimens were detected by K-line or L-line excitation.

The transition between tetragonal and cubic phases in nanostructured ZrO2-Sc2O3 solid solutions by high-temperature X-ray powder diffraction using synchrotron radiation is presented. ZrO2-8 and 11 mol% Sc2O3 nanopowders that exhibit the t′- and t″-forms of the tetragonal phase, respectively, were synthesized by a stoichiometric nitrate-lysine gel-combustion route. The average crystallite size treated at 900°C was about 25 nm for both compositions. Our results showed that t′-t″ and t″-cubic transitions take place for the 8 and 11 mol% Sc2O3 samples, respectively.

ZnO thin films were produced by argon plasma assisted electron beam vacuum evaporation and d.c. magnetron sputtering deposition techniques. ZnO films are used in solar cells as transparent contact in heterojunction cells, and can be deposited on a variety of substrates by different techniques, including electron beam deposition and sputtering and laser ablation. ZnO thin films were prepared for photovoltaic applications and the structural properties were studied. The results showed that the sputtering and the vacuum evaporation techniques resulted, respectively, in a textured ZnO and ZnO plus Zn mixed phases. The annealing of the vacuum evaporation ZnO films resulted in films with high crystallinity.

Results from Monte Carlo simulations of two-dimensional projections for a simple real sample (an aluminium cube with a cylindrical hole filled by air or steel) in a realistic experimental environment are presented. A meaningful comparison with measurements was therefore possible. Coherent and incoherent scattering as well as excitation of fluorescent radiation are accounted for; multiple sequences of these interactions are followed up to a selectable order. Such simulations are important aids to modern metrological applications of computed tomography where the dimensional accuracy of hidden or inaccessible components of work pieces is determined. The complex process requires a high level of optimization of the instrumental parameters for each sample type whereby the accurate simulation of the physical interactions between X-rays and the sample material is a supplement and alternative to time consuming measurements.

Thin polycrystalline ZnO films were grown on silicon substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering using zinc oxide targets. The quality of the ZnO layers was assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence measurements. The XRD studies and Raman studies revealed that the ZnO films crystallize in the wurtzite structure. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra consisted of a narrow near-band-edge ultraviolet band and a broad defect-related green band with peak positions at 380 and 516 nm, respectively. The main goal of the work was to define the growth conditions to prepare zinc oxide films with adequate properties to be used in electroluminescent devices. The films exhibited the best surface appearance with a 40:1 argon/oxygen flow rate, a total pressure of 1.5×10−3 mbar, and a substrate temperature of 230 °C. The structural and luminescence properties improved noticeably with the thermal annealing processes at 800 °C for 1 h.