From June 25-28, 2019, 72 participants from 21 countries met for the "18th International Conference on Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Analysis and Related Methods" (TXRF-2019) at the University of Girona in Catalonia. The different sessions focused on instrumentation, laboratory and synchrotron-based TXRF, sample preparation, quantification, biological, medical and environmental samples such as sediments, but also applications such as nanoparticles and related methods such as GIXRF. In addition, the EU COST network "Enforce TXRF" was presented, in which the AG Fittschen also participates.
Prof. Ursula Fittschen, Dr. Christian Gutsche (in picture) and Sebastian Böttger presented in two talks and three posters the current research activities from the AG: Topics were the determination of mercury contents in air using silver nanoparticles and TXRF, nanoparticle characterization using TXRF and complementary methods, raw material screening using µXRF and TXRF, GIXRF and investigations on membranes for vanadium redox flow batteries.
The prize for the Best "Young Investigator Presentation" was awarded to Gabriella Mankovskii from Ryerson University in Canada for her contribution: "Applications of TXRF in quantifying AuNPs uptake in cancer cells and tissues: Comparisons with ICP". The presentation "Determination of gas phase mercury using TXRF" by Sebastian Böttger was additionally acknowledged. We would like to thank for the financial support by congress scholarships of the GDCh and EXSA.
Highlights of the lovingly designed program were the conference dinner by the sea, the city tour through beautiful Girona (where parts of "Game of Thrones" were also filmed) and the traditional construction of a human tower incorporating the conference topics.
The next international conference on TXRF and related methods will take place at TU Clausthal in September 2021 and will be organized by AG Fittschen.
