Duetto 2

Portable XRD/XRF for Cultural Heritage

Duetto-2 is a portable instrument for non-invasive in- situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. Its predecessor Duetto-1, launched in 2010, was the first commercial XRD/XRF instrument designed specifically for Cultural Heritage. Based on the same general principles, Duetto-2 benefits from a decade of improvement in system and component design. Duetto-2 can be used in the laboratory or deployed in the field (museum, archaeological site, restoration project, etc) using a variety of mounting options. The technology at the base of Duetto derives from NASA planetary instrument development programs (CheMin and CheMinX), and brings unprecedented miniaturization and ruggedness to Cultural Heritage Research.

Key features

MINIATURIZATION

At just under 35 cm and 6 kg for a complete instrument, Duetto-2 is the smallest XRD instrument ... in the Solar System! This is enabled by technology developed for NASA Space exploration.

X-RAY source

A novel miniature ceramic/metal construction X-ray tube developed for Space missions is used in conjunction with an internal HVPS and proprietary control electronics.

x-ray detector

The new deep-cooling sealed vacuum X-ray CCD detector improves speed and energy resolution while reducing power.

faster analysis

The geometry is optimized to double the speed of Duetto-1.

sample imaging

Embedded color camera, LED illumination and micro-focused laser allow real-time imaging of the sample and precise positioning of the instrument.

improved versatility

Increased clearance to the sample and a variety of optional mounts broaden the application range.

intuitive software

New software offers advanced controls and data processing with an intuitive, dynamic and user-friendly graphic interface.

Low power

Requiring only 40 W of power and low voltage, Duetto-2 can operate all day using the optional battery power station.

Easy operation

XRD and XRF data are extracted from a series of CCD exposures. During an analysis the CCD X-ray detector is read every few seconds. Raw CCD data are processed in real time and XRD/XRF plots are visualized on the computer. The Duetto-2 application provides tools for preliminary analysis of the data during the acquisition.

XRF data, obtained from the exact same spot of the object as XRD, are very informative and practical in helping with the phase identification of complex samples, or confirming the nature of the phases found independently by XRD.

XRD analysis

Duetto XRD data can be analyzed with any powder XRD analysis package. If the user doesn’t already own such an application, we recommend our cloud-based application QAnalyze.com and we can offer optional 3rd party applications bundled in the system.