From October 2018, the CNR-IMM Unit of Agrate Brianza is equipped with a new set-up to perform Transmission Mössbauer Spectroscopy (TMS), which has been developed in the framework of CYBER-SORT, a joint project between CNR and Regione Lombardia.
Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) is a nuclear resonance method based on the Mössbuer effect, i.e. the recoil-free emission and resonant absorption of γ-radiation. MS is a non-destructive technique providing detailed atomic-scale chemical, structural and magnetic information thank to the hyperfine interactions between the Mössbauer-active nuclei and their local environment. The simultaneous measurement of charge state, local symmetry and hyperfine magnetic field makes MS a non-destructive element-selective method for identifying (and quantifying) the different alloys (both crystalline and amorphous) in which the Mössbauer-active nuclei are coordinated. The 119Sn and 57Fe are the most widely used isotopes, having commercially available radioactive sources.
The Mössbauer laboratory in Agrate Brianza is now equipped with:
- Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) operating at room temperature and down to 100 K. This backscattering configuration is particularly suitable in micro/nano-electronics, to investigate thin films and interfaces. A unique parallel-plate avalanche counter has been developed in Agrate Brianza to extend CEMS at low temperatures.
- Transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy (TMS) operating at room temperature. TMS is the most widely used experimental configuration in Mössbauer spectroscopy. It can be applied to several scientific fields: geology, magnetism, bio-chemistry, metallurgy, catalysis and planetary science, among others
Contact person: Roberto Mantovan