Nanoelectrochemistry: a new advanced analytical tool in heritage conservation
Esta página web, la base de datos, los webreports y toda la información que contiene es parte del proyecto I+D+I CTQ2011-28079-C03-01 financiado por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y cofinanciado con fondos FEDER
Programas Nacionales del Plan Nacional I+D+I 2008-2011.
Años: 2012-2014
Coordinator: Mª Teresa Doménech Carbó.
Subproject director: Antonio Doménech-Carbó
Subproject director: Fernando Bolivar-Galiano
Summary
Exploration of the feasibility of nanoelectrochemical techniques as a new advanced technique in the field of heritage conservation is proposed in this project. These techniques, providing simultaneous morphological and compositional data at nanoscale could alleviate much of the critical aspects concerning diagnostic and control of cultural heritage such as severe restrictions in sampling of outstanding heritage or extreme heritage where the constituent materials are significantly lost (e.g. fire, floods and earthquakes) and archaeological artefacts where paint materials are remaining at trace level. A pluridisciplinary team including chemists, geologists, engineers, biologists, conservators, art historians and archaeologists will work in three different research lines based on the electrochemical and morphological characterization at micro-, nanoscopic scale of: a) material constituents in pictorial art and archaeological objects, b) corrosion/alteration processes involving electroactive species, and c) corrosion/alteration processes due to microbial attack. Application in the heritage conservation context of four electrochemical techniques that work at nano scale is proposed: a) atomic force microscopy-voltammetry of nanoparticles; b) scanning electrochemical microscopy; c) voltammetry of micro/nanoparticles using the “one touch” sampling methodology; d) voltammetry of micro/nanoparticles using the “layer-by-layer” methodology. A nanomicroscopy technique using ionic bombardment focus (FESEM-FIB) will also be applied. These techniques will be applied, in the different steps of the project, on: a) standard and reference materials; b) artificially aged/alterated/ microbial inoculated specimens and c) samples from a selection of pictorial art and archaeological objects. Validation of these techniques will be carried out, in parallel, by comparison of results with those from conventional or classical analytical techniques such as LM, TEM, SEM-EDX, ESEM, UV-vis spectrophotometry, FTIR spectroscopy, GC-MS, Py-GC-MS, among others. As final outcome of the project a knowledge base will be built, which includes the data from the series of instrumental analytical techniques applied to a selection of the case studies undertaken in the project.
For this purpose, it has been proposed a work program including the preparation of coating and paint models, which will subjected to artificial ageing and inoculated with microorganisms and after this, will be cleaned with a number of chemical cleaners and biocides. Moreover, it will be developed several new analytical methods able to evaluate the changes undergone by the coating and paint models after cleaning, which are based on the instrumental techniques: AFM, Cryo-SEM/EDX, SEM/EDX, ESEM, mechanical tester at controlled temperature and RH, mechanical tester coupled to Cryo-SEM and indentation tester, chromatographic (CEC, size-exclusion-HPLC), spectroscopic (ATR-FTIR, IR-Microspectroscopy, UV-Vis), spectrometric (MS-MS) and hyphenated systems (Py-GC-MS, HPLC-MS, GC-MS), (LSV, CV, DPV,SQWV, impedance), and the hyphenated technique AFM- solid state electroanalysis (AFM-CV).
Finally, the developed methods will be applied to several case study proposed by art conservation companies which are collaborating as EPO in this project, where the control of the cleaning treatments could not be satisfactorily resolved, until now, by means of conventional techniques.
As complementary activity a isolation and identification of fungi and bacteria active on paintings and polychromed sculpture is included in the work program of the project.