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Smart Portable Sensors for Environment and Cultural Heritage

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 15257

Special Issue Editor

Department of Sciences and Chemical Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: electrochemical sensors; nanomaterials; nanocomposites; portable devices for environmental monitoring and cultural heritage; chemically modified electrodes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, the need to develop non-invasive materials, specifically designed and produced for the restoration and conservation of (indoor/outdoor) Cultural Heritage, exhibiting interesting features such as eco-sustainability and biocompatibility (especially toward “end-users”, such as chemists, materials scientists, restorers, and conservator scientists), undoubtedly represents a very important challenge in the field of art work preservation and development (around the world).

This scientific challenge, provides three important goals to be achieved:

  • the first one concerns the discovery of new green chemistry synthetic routes for the mass production of eco-friendly, non-invasive and highly biocompatible nanostructured materials, dedicated to the restoration, consolidation and preservation of art work objectives and surfaces;
  • the second goal concerns the smart fabrication of new miniaturized wireless sensors, assembled with selective and specific nanomaterials, especially suitable for in situ diagnosis of the conservation status of Cultural Heritage;
  • the third one concerns the assembly of new movable actuators, based on nanostructured materials, able to in loco release, with controlled release mechanisms, the restoration and consolidation green chemical agents, directly applied to cultural heritages.

The aim of this Special Issue is to make scientists think about materials and portable devices, exclusively for cultural heritage, capable of in situ working, minimizing any risk factor and interfering factors, which are the main causes of damages, for art work objectives/surfaces.

This Special Issue could provide a new proof of concept for a portable/movable lab (laboratory), assembled with miniaturized sensors and actuators, to perform diagnosis and restoration/conservation procedures, directly in situ, for Cultural Heritage surfaces.

text

Dr. Federica Valentini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • portable sensors
  • movable actuators for in situ restoration/conservation
  • eco-friendly and highly biocompatible nanomaterials
  • portable Lab (Laboratory)
  • integrated nanostructured devices

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4653 KiB  
Article
Innovative Technologies for Cultural Heritage. Tattoo Sensors and AI: The New Life of Cultural Assets
by Maurizio Talamo, Federica Valentini, Andrea Dimitri and Ivo Allegrini
Sensors 2020, 20(7), 1909; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20071909 - 30 Mar 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4303
Abstract
Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage is something more than a simple process of maintaining the existing. It is an integral part of the improvement of the cultural asset. The social context around the restoration shapes the specific actions. Today, preservation, restoration, enhancement [...] Read more.
Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage is something more than a simple process of maintaining the existing. It is an integral part of the improvement of the cultural asset. The social context around the restoration shapes the specific actions. Today, preservation, restoration, enhancement of cultural heritage are increasingly a multidisciplinary science, meeting point of researchers coming from heterogeneous study areas. Data scientists and Information technology (IT) specialists are increasingly important. In this context, networks of a new generation of smart sensors integrated with data mining and artificial intelligence play a crucial role and aim to become the new skin of cultural assets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Portable Sensors for Environment and Cultural Heritage)
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13 pages, 1986 KiB  
Article
Preventive Conservation of Cultural Heritage: Biodeteriogens Control by Aerobiological Monitoring
by Luigia Ruga, Fabio Orlandi and Marco Fornaciari
Sensors 2019, 19(17), 3647; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19173647 - 22 Aug 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2650
Abstract
Artefact conditions need to be continuously monitored to avoid degradation effects naturally caused by time and public exploitation in order to increase the value of cultural assets. In this way, the atmospheric analysis of both biological and chemical pollutants potentially present inside conservation [...] Read more.
Artefact conditions need to be continuously monitored to avoid degradation effects naturally caused by time and public exploitation in order to increase the value of cultural assets. In this way, the atmospheric analysis of both biological and chemical pollutants potentially present inside conservation environments represents valid support for the adoption of preventive conservation actions by evaluating periodically the presence of risk for the same artefacts. The aim of the present study was to analyze the fungal particles, potentially biodeteriogen, through aerobiological volumetric monitoring, particularly inside valuable historical, artistic, and cultural sites. Different exposition and conservation typologies of the artefacts with different flows of visitors were considered. The applied methodologies have furnished a reliable description of biological air pollution due to the presence of fungal spores—moreover, they have allowed for the prevention of risk situations and the measurement of their evolution in order to limit degradation processes. Through aerobiological monitoring, it was possible to provide important indications for interventions of prevention, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage in indoor environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Portable Sensors for Environment and Cultural Heritage)
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Review

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15 pages, 2410 KiB  
Review
Neutrons for Cultural Heritage—Techniques, Sensors, and Detection
by Giulia Festa, Giovanni Romanelli, Roberto Senesi, Laura Arcidiacono, Claudia Scatigno, Stewart F. Parker, M. P. M. Marques and Carla Andreani
Sensors 2020, 20(2), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20020502 - 16 Jan 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3922
Abstract
Advances in research in Cultural Heritage see increasing application of a multidisciplinary approach and the combined use of physical and chemical characterization of artefacts that can be used to define their structure and their state of conservation, also providing valuable information in selecting [...] Read more.
Advances in research in Cultural Heritage see increasing application of a multidisciplinary approach and the combined use of physical and chemical characterization of artefacts that can be used to define their structure and their state of conservation, also providing valuable information in selecting the most suitable microclimatic conditions for the exhibition environment. This approach provides a platform for a synergic collaboration amongst researchers, restorers, conservators, and archaeologists. Existing state-of-the-art technologies for neutron-based methods are currently being applied to the study of objects of historical and cultural interest in several neutron-beam facilities around the world. Such techniques are non-invasive and non-destructive and are, therefore, ideal to provide structural information about artefacts, such as their composition, presence of alterations due to the environmental conditions, inclusions, structure of the bulk, manufacturing techniques, and elemental composition, which provide an overall fingerprint of the object’s characteristics, thanks to the nature of the interaction of neutrons with matter. Here, we present an overview of the main neutron methods for the characterization of materials of interest in Cultural Heritage and we provide a brief introduction to the sensors and detectors that are used in this framework. We conclude with some case studies underlining the impact of these applications in different archaeological and historical contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Portable Sensors for Environment and Cultural Heritage)
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33 pages, 7040 KiB  
Review
Smart Electrochemical Portable Tools for Cultural Heritage Analysis: A Review
by Federica Valentini
Sensors 2019, 19(19), 4303; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19194303 - 04 Oct 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3810 | Correction
Abstract
Protecting Cultural Heritage (CH) from corrosion and other environmental damages, mainly involving metallic or organic layers contained in artwork, represents a major challenge for conservation scientists. Electrochemical techniques provide useful information about the deterioration effects of metallic coatings and organic layers. Recently, Electrochemical [...] Read more.
Protecting Cultural Heritage (CH) from corrosion and other environmental damages, mainly involving metallic or organic layers contained in artwork, represents a major challenge for conservation scientists. Electrochemical techniques provide useful information about the deterioration effects of metallic coatings and organic layers. Recently, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) has been successfully applied in the study of metallic corrosion. However, EIS has not succeeded in becoming a routine technique, due to problems regarding both instrumental apparatus (which is not ideal for in situ analysis, especially with previous cell configurations), and the difficulty with data processing. At the same time, new portable electrochemical sensors, immunosensors, and biosensors have successfully made a scientific impact, mainly with in situ diagnosis of organic components contained in CH objects. For this purpose, this review presents two sections: the first describes the analytical optimization of impedance electrochemical cell geometries that are suitable for in situ metal-coating investigation; the second reports on the assembly of small electrochemical sensors, immunosensors, and biosensors, which useful for in situ organic layer characterization. This overview summarizes the state of the art regarding the application of electrochemical techniques and small electrochemical devices as alternative tools for the understanding of CH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Portable Sensors for Environment and Cultural Heritage)
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