XRD-XRF mapping of scorpion stingers and fossils

Scorpion stingers are purely organic structures that are subject to extreme forces during use. We will collect simultaneous XRD and XRF maps of scorpion stingers with a monochromatic microbeam to understand the ultrastructure of the chitin and the distribution of trace elements in an effort to elucidate their relationship of the material properties of this high-strength organic structure. In the same experiment, we may also perform a test XRF mapping of a flat polychaete worm fossil.