Abstract: During the study of a large number of archaeological glass fragments, manganese-rich inclusions in leached layers were observed in a limited number of cases. This phenomenon occurs only in black-coloured leached layers. Since the formation mechanism of such manganese-rich inclusions is still unclear, a combination of several analytical techniques was used in order to investigate this phenomenon and, more specifically, to obtain more information on (a) the composition and morphology of the inclusions, (b) the chemical state of Mn and (c) the 3D morphology of the inclusions. A mechanism that might explain the formation of these inclusions is proposed.

Abstract: Stable emissive carbon nanodots were generated in zeolite crystals using near infrared photon irradiation gradually converting the occluded organic template, originally used to synthesize the zeolite crystals, into discrete luminescent species consisting of nano-sized carbogenic fluorophores, as ascertained using Raman microscopy, and steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. Photoactivation in a confocal laser fluorescence microscope allows 3D resolved writing of luminescent carbon nanodot patterns inside zeolites providing a cost-effective and non-toxic alternative to previously reported metal-based nanoclusters confined in zeolites, and opens up opportunities in bio-labelling and sensing applications.