Glass sample characterization by secondary ion mass spectrometry

The vitreous surfaces of six samples of drawn sheet glass treated in several ways (fracture surface, polished, or immersed in acid solutions) were analysed by secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). It was shown that no changes in the samples take place under typical SIMS conditions. SIMS can reveal the effects of various kinds of sample preparation (e.g. surface abrasion, polishing) necessary for the characterization of archeological glass finds. It can also reveal slight compositional changes not detectable with other techniques such as X-ray microanalysis. In some glasses, surface alterations, which may be due to ion-exchange processes between modifying elements of the Si network (typically Na, Ca and K) and protons of acid solutions, have been detected. Samples modified by immersion in acid solution have also been analysed to demonstrate detection of alterations in glass components induced by artificial aging.