Heritage science encompasses the interdisciplinary domains and fostered synergies within the fields of science, humanities and engineering. Collective skills have over the last decades focused on providing a greater knowledge, care and sustainable use of heritage objects of research so that they may continue to enrich future generations.
In this context, the research conducted since the early 2000s at the SCITEC laboratory of Chemistry for Heritage science collaborating with the Centre of Excellence SMAArt (Scientific Methodologies applied to Archaeology and Art) (https://smaart.unipg.it/en/) at the University of Perugia, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, aims to develop wide spectroscopic competences and innovative analytical approaches for the challenging multifaceted investigations of irreplaceable artworks.
Ad-hoc non-invasive to micro-destructive investigations are carried from the nano/micro-scale to the macro-scale and from the laboratory to in-situ settings with portable instrumentations by adopting a comprehensive multi-technique methodology. Studies involve the analyses of extensive types of materials (textiles, stones, wood, ceramics, glass, metals, pigments, dyes, polymers and more) for the characterization and elucidation of their chemical-physical properties. This is often complicated as such materials are often present together heterogeneously and in diversely complex systems. Of great importance is arriving to an understanding of the degradation mechanisms and formation of products and markers of degrade. Effort in the assessment and monitoring of cleaning and consolidating materials informatively assists in strategies for the long term conservation and restoration of historical artworks.