| This work is part of the activities of a multi-disciplinary project, IMMACO (I&barbelow;mprovement of M&barbelow;eans of M&barbelow;easurements on A&barbelow;rchaeological Copper-Alloys for Characterization and Conservation). The aim was to establish copper alloys as certified reference materials (CRMs), which are representative of all objects available from history's major metalworking civilizations.; Quantification of major and minor elements in bronzes with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and laser postionization in combination with secondary neutral mass spectrometry (RIMS) was done. To overcome problem measurements in low mass (LMR) and in high mass resolution (HMR) were done employing MCs + cluster formation as well as the investigation of other alkali primary ions (Rb+, Na+, K+) using LMR to quantify the constituents in copper alloys (CRMs) one of them being an ancient alike bronze. Results obtained from the REMPI/SNMS measurements lead to more accurate values when an appropriate standard is used.; The microstructure of the five copper alloys was performed using light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy with energy disperse X-ray detection (SEM-EDX) for the determination of the matrix and trace elements as well as SIMS 2D/3D imaging. The investigations carried out have shown that the powder metallurgy method resulted in alloys with certain heterogeneity. Therefore, the minimum analyzed area, for which the certified values and uncertainties are valid, is a spot of diameter 5 mm.; Patinas, which were artificially formed on the synthetic alloys, were studied and classified concerning their corrosion behavior on the different bronzes. Five alloys with intermediate composition were produced and artificially patinated in the same way as the other five CRMs. Examinations of the corrosion products were carried out on a copper, a bronze without Pb, a brass with low Sn and Pb contents, a bronze with high Pb content and a bronze with high Sn content. It can be concluded that the morphology of the surfaces and elemental compositions of the corrosion products depended strongly on the chemical composition of the alloys. Nevertheless, the morphology of the surfaces and elemental compositions of the corrosion products of the artificially corroded IMMACO bronzes is comparable to natural patinas on archaeological bronzes. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
