Chemistry and Materials for Cultural Heritage

Development and characterization of new materials for the conservation and protection of natural and artificial stone surfaces. In particular, organic-inorganic hybrid materials are designed and synthesized for the consolidation and protection of ancient materials.

Diagnostic analyses applied to Cultural Heritage using spectroscopic techniques such as FT-IR (in transmission mode and attenuated total reflectance, ATR), portable LIBS, and hyperspectral imaging in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) range coupled with supervised and usupervised chemometric approaches.

Environmental monitoring by means of passive samplers and continuous air sampling systems, aimed at assessing air quality in indoor and outdoor environments where Cultural Heritage is stored, displayed, or located, such as museums, churches, storage areas, and archaeological sites, through the determination of gaseous pollutants (O₃, NO/NO₂, BTEX, SO₂, CO₂, H₂S, NH₃, aldehydes, etc.) and atmospheric particulate matter.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of conservation treatments through dedicated instrumentation, including a Wilhelmy balance for hydrophobicity measurements, an artificial ageing chamber with simulated sunlight, and a portable colorimeter for the analysis of chromatic variations induced by treatments and ageing cycles.