HERITAGE SCIENCE
DEGRADATION PROCESSES
Heritage science objects are multilayered and heterogeneous systems made up of amorphous and/or crystalline organic and inorganic compounds, that may be subjected to complex chemical transformations over time.
A branch of research activity of SCITEC aims at understanding the degradation processes of the constitutive materials and at determining the key-factors that govern their chemical changes, by exploiting the application of a methodological strategy that is:
- multi-material: as the investigation encompasses both unaged and artificially aged mock-ups and historical artworks and micro-samples;
- multi-method: as it includes computational modeling and a wide range of state-of-the-art analytical techniques;
- multi-scale: as it comprises studies from the molecular to the micro-nano, up to the macroscale level with non-invasive analysis of historical artworks.
The ultimate goal of the research is to define a firm scientific predictive basis to contribute to the optimization of preventive conservation strategies of cultural heritage objects.
Skills
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artificial aging
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synthesis of pigments
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non-invasive spectroscopy
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micro-vibrational spectroscopy
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SERS
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synchrotron radiation-based X-ray methods
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micro-/macro-scale hyperspectral imaging
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computational modeling
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data interoperability