Analysis and aging of unsaturated polyester resins in contemporary art installations by NMR spectroscopy

What Fate for Plastics in Artworks? An Overview of Their Identification and Degradative Behaviour

This review is conceived as a guide for material science researchers and conservators aiming to face the problem of deterioration of contemporary artworks entirely or partially made of plastics. It initially illustrates the analytical approaches for identifying polymeric material components in 3D art objects, such as sculptures and installations, and provides a perspective of their limits and advantages. Subsequently, the methodologies used for studying the deterioration of contemporary art plastics are reviewed, emphasising the main effects of the different types of degradation (i.e., migration of additives, oxidation and hydrolysis) and suggesting the appropriate techniques for their detection. Finally, the application of artificial ageing tests is critically assessed. All the concepts are elaborated through case studies and examples.

Fast and In-Situ Identification of Archaeometallurgical Collections in the Museum of Malaga Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and a New Mathematical Algorithm

This paper reports the use of an advanced statistical algorithm for the recognition and classification of a set of 30 archaeological metallic objects from the Museum of Malaga. In-situ laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) analysis was performed using a portable analyzer. The coordinate-obtaining method provided the statistical weights of each element in the sample. A comparative study between the coordinate-obtaining method and the linear correlation method is also discussed in order to corroborate the applicability of the proposed approach to the field of cultural heritage. The possibility of fast identification based on the simultaneous comparison of all the spectra in the reference LIBS library while allowing the analysis of heterogeneous materials is the main advantage of the method. In addition, statistical analysis (Euclidean distance analysis and binary diagrams) suggested that differentiating between archaeological sites is feasible.

Review of the use of NMR spectroscopy to investigate structure, reactivity, and dynamics of lead soap formation in paintings

Heavy metal carboxylate or soap formation is a widespread deterioration problem affecting oil paintings and other works of art bearing oil-based media. Lead soaps are prevalent in traditional oil paintings because lead white was the white pigment most frequently chosen by old masters for the paints and in some cases for the ground preparations, until the development of other white pigments from approximately the middle of the 18th century on, and because of the wide use of lead-tin yellow. In the latter part of the 19th century, lead white began to be replaced by zinc white. The factors that influence soap formation have been the focus of intense study starting in the late 1990s. Since 2014, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies have contributed a unique perspective on the issue by providing chemical, structural, and dynamic information about the species involved in the process, as well as the effects of environmental conditions such as relative humidity and temperature on the kinetics of the reaction(s). In this review, we explore recent insights into soap formation gained through solid-state NMR and single-sided NMR techniques.

Painted Fiberglass-Reinforced Contemporary Sculpture: Investigating Composite Materials, Techniques and Conservation Using a Multi-Analytical Approach

A multi-analytical approach was used to study the constituent materials, manufacturing technique, and state of conservation of a contemporary sculpture. This sculpture, entitled Nuredduna, was created by Aligi Sassu in 1995 and is located in the "Bellariva garden" in Florence (Italy). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), optical and electronic microscopy (OM and SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) highlighted the multi-layered structure of the statue: fiberglass and an overlay of different layers (gel coat) applied with an unsaturated polyester resin added with aggregate materials and bromine compounds. A top-coat in acrylic black varnish, used as a finish, was also found. The combination of these materials with their different compositions, environmental impact, and even vandalism have negatively affected the state of conservation of Nuredduna, causing the loss of strata in its lower parts (legs and feet).

Preliminary study on analysis and removal of wax from a Carrara marble statue

This preliminary study has mainly focused on the wax identification by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and removal. Wax is used for many purposes in the field of art as protective coatings on wooden, stone or metal objects. From the comparison of the spectra H NMR and in particular with the correspondence of the resonance peaks of the samples taken from the statue and beeswax and paraffin, we can conclude that the wax applied on the statue surface is beeswax. From our data, it can be concluded that, to remove the beeswax, from any stone support, the more effective solvent is the mixture of cyclohexane/ethyl acetate. The removal percentages ranged from 19 to 99%. Lower percentages of removal have been observed in the case of yellow marble, probably because of its high porosity. We can affirm that, this solvent mixture can be employed in real art objects using cotton swabs to remove protective wax.

FTIR study of ageing of fast drying oil colour (FDOC) alkyd paint replicas

We propose ATR-FTIR spectroscopy for the characterization of the spectral changes in alkyd resin from the Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colour range (Winsor & Newton), occurring over 550 days (∼18 months) of natural ageing and over six months of artificial ageing under an acetic acid atmosphere. Acetic acid is one of the atmospheric pollutants found inside museums in concentrations that can have a significant effect on the works exhibited. During natural ageing we observed an increase and broadening of the OH group band around 3300 cm(-1) and an increase in bands in the region 1730-1680 cm(-1) due to carbonyl stretching. We found a broad band around 1635 cm(-1) likely due to CO stretching vibrations of β dichetons. These spectral changes are the result of autooxidation reactions during natural ageing and crosslinking, which then form f alcohols and carbonyl species. The increase in absorbance at 1635 cm(-1) was selected as a parameter to monitor the ageing process of paintings prepared with FDOC, without the need for any extractive procedure. FTIR spectra of paint replicas kept under an acetic acid atmosphere indicated the chemical groups involved in the reaction with acid, thus suggesting which spectral FTIR regions could be investigated in order to follow any degradation in real paintings. A red paint sample from a hyper-realistic artwork ("Racconta storie", 2003) by the Italian painter Patrizia Zara was investigated by FTIR in order to evaluate the effects of 10 years natural ageing on alkyd colours. The results obtained suggested that after the end of chemical drying (autooxidation), alkyd colours are very stable.

Casting materials and their application in research and teaching

From a biological point of view, casting refers to filling of anatomical and/or pathological spaces with extraneous material that reproduces a three-dimensional replica of the space. Casting may be accompanied by additional procedures such as corrosion, in which the soft tissue is digested out, leaving a clean cast, or the material may be mixed with radiopaque substances to allow x-ray photography or micro computed topography (µCT) scanning. Alternatively, clearing of the surrounding soft tissue increases transparency and allows visualization of the casted cavities. Combination of casting with tissue fixation allows anatomical dissection and didactic surgical procedures on the tissue. Casting materials fall into three categories namely, aqueous substances (India ink, Prussian blue ink), pliable materials (gelatins, latex, and silicone rubber), or hard materials (methyl methacrylates, polyurethanes, polyesters, and epoxy resins). Casting has proved invaluable in both teaching and research and many phenomenal biological processes have been discovered through casting. The choice of a particular material depends inter alia on the targeted use and the intended subsequent investigative procedures, such as dissection, microscopy, or µCT. The casting material needs to be pliable where anatomical and surgical manipulations are intended, and capillary-passable for ultrastructural investigations.