Analysis of ancient materials and their degradation

Current paradigm shift in materials sciences. Good overview of the field.

Introduction to ancient materials and their specificities. Brief presentation of typical fields of studies by means of case-studies.

Review of imaging techniques and sample preparation for imaging

Example of imaging in cultural heritage (various techniques)

Example of chemical imaging (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy)

Example of nanoscale imaging of catalysts at work (by STXM imaging)

General overview of light-matter interactions. Focus on X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Several examples of imaging techniques for painting and their use to draw conclusions about degradation states, later changes by the artists and  from an art history perspective.

Attention!! Some scientific imprecision that you should be readily able to detect...!

Example of XRF scanning on painting (Rembrandt)

X-ray absorption tomography and its application in ancient materials. Basic introduction to image acquisition and image treatment for analysis.

Example of the use of X-ray tomography to investigate transport phenomena in corroded archaeological artefacts.