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Beyond the Surface: Novel Non-destructive Techniques to Explore Works of Art

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Physics General".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2021) | Viewed by 16618

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Raffaella Fontana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Research Council – National Institute of Optics, CNR-INO, Largo E. Fermi, 650125 Florence, Italy
Interests: design, development, and application of instruments for the non-invasive diagnostics of works of art; multispectral imaging (UV-VIS-NIR, THz); OCT (optical coherence tomography); 3D survey; NLOM (nonlinear optical microscopies)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alice Dal Fovo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche–Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, CNR–INO, Largo E. Fermi, 650125 Florence, Italy
Interests: non-invasive diagnostics of works of art; multispectral analysis; VIS-NIR spectroscopy; 3D survey; optical coherence tomography; NLO microscopies; photo-acoustics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many are the new techniques that have entered the cultural heritage (CH) field, often coming from other fields, mainly biomedicine. Their application, even though not straightforward due to the frailness, shape, and polychromies of most works of art, has proven useful for the characterization of the materials composing those objects. Traditional technologies available for studying most artworks rely on the use of radiation ranging from X-rays to the infrared. The use of other probes, such as neutron beams, synchrotron or THz radiation, to name a few, has advanced greatly over the last twenty years, enabling a new phenomenon to be exploited. To date, such methodologies have been underutilized by the heritage science community but show great potential in disclosing what is not visible to the naked eye. Due to the growing awareness of the importance of not altering the analyzed object, the intrinsic non-invasiveness of most of these methods make them particularly suited for artwork diagnostics, thus avoiding the need of microsampling.

The variety of artistic materials often makes the use of a single technique insufficient: a multianalytical approach supported by an interdisciplinary team of experts is crucial for a comprehensive knowledge and the interpretation of the results. This holistic approach, while enhancing the quality of the results, raises the problem of handling a huge and complex amount of data, of storing and making them available to the heritage science community.

The primary purpose of this Special Issue is to create a collection of cutting-edge techniques for the study of CH objects, and to point out the fruitfulness of an integrated survey based on a multidisciplinary approach. The goal is to provide a suite of new tools to reliably understand the materials/composition/structure of an artwork.

Dr. Raffaella Fontana
Dr. Alice Dal Fovo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Non-linear optical (NLO) techniques
  • THz spectroscopy
  • Photo-acoustic techniques
  • Neutron scattering and synchrotron radiation
  • Nuclear–magnetic resonance (NMR)
  • Computed tomography (CT)
  • Muon tomography (MT)
  • Electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI)
  • Infrared thermography
  • 3D survey and reconstruction techniques

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2509 KiB  
Article
Non-Invasive Evaluation of Polymeric Protective Coatings for Metal Surfaces of Cultural Heritage Objects: Comparison of Optical and Electromagnetic Methods
by Diego Quintero Balbas, Alice Dal Fovo, Daniela Porcu, Antonina Chaban, Simone Porcinai, Raffaella Fontana and Jana Striova
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(15), 7532; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12157532 - 27 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2300
Abstract
The application of protective coatings is an effective preventive strategy to avoid metal corrosion. Constant monitoring of the coating’s quality is fundamental for the successful preservation of the metallic objects by reducing their interaction with corroding agents. Their evaluation over time helps to [...] Read more.
The application of protective coatings is an effective preventive strategy to avoid metal corrosion. Constant monitoring of the coating’s quality is fundamental for the successful preservation of the metallic objects by reducing their interaction with corroding agents. Their evaluation over time helps to identify failure at early stages and promote their removal and substitution. Several methods have been employed for coating evaluation (i.e., chemical analysis, thickness and homogeneity investigation). In this paper, we compare three methods—Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy (CRM), and Eddy Currents (ECs)—to evaluate thickness values and coating integrity. The results from the two optical techniques (CRM and OCT) agree, being able to detect the inhomogeneity of the layer on a micron scale but requiring correction to account for the refraction phenomenon. The Eddy Current is a fast and efficient method for thickness estimation, providing data with millimetric lateral resolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Surface: Novel Non-destructive Techniques to Explore Works of Art)
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16 pages, 2260 KiB  
Article
Over and beyond the Primate baubellum Surface: A “Jewel Bone” Shielded in Museums
by Federica Spani, Maria Pia Morigi, Matteo Bettuzzi, Massimiliano Scalici and Monica Carosi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2096; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042096 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3495
Abstract
Computed Tomography (CT), mostly used in the medical field, has also recently been involved in Cultural Heritage studies, thanks to its efficiency and total non-invasiveness. Due to the large variety of sizes and compositions typical of Cultural Heritage objects, different X-ray sources, detectors, [...] Read more.
Computed Tomography (CT), mostly used in the medical field, has also recently been involved in Cultural Heritage studies, thanks to its efficiency and total non-invasiveness. Due to the large variety of sizes and compositions typical of Cultural Heritage objects, different X-ray sources, detectors, and setups are necessary to meet the different needs of various case studies. Here, we focus on the use of micro-CT to explore the morphology and shape of a small, neglected bone found inside the clitoris of non-human primates (the baubellum), which we obtained by accessing two prestigious primatological collections of the American Museum of Natural History (New York, NY, USA) and the National Museum of Natural History (Washington, DC, USA). Overcoming methodological limits imposed by the absence of homologous landmarks, we combined the use of the non-invasive 3D micro-CT and a recently released landmark-free shape analysis (the alpha-shape technique) to objectively describe and quantify the shape complexity of scanned primate baubella. Micro-CT provided high-resolution results, overcoming constraints linked to museum policy about non-disruptive sampling and preserving samples for future research. Finally, it proved appropriate as post-mortem sampling had no impact on protected wild primate populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Surface: Novel Non-destructive Techniques to Explore Works of Art)
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17 pages, 5843 KiB  
Article
When the Utility of Micro-Computed Tomography Collides with Insect Sample Preparation: An Entomologist User Guide to Solve Post-Processing Issues and Achieve Optimal 3D Models
by Francesco Simone Mensa, Maurizio Muzzi, Federica Spani, Giuliana Tromba, Christian Dullin and Andrea Di Giulio
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 769; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020769 - 13 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3744
Abstract
Many techniques are used today to study insect morphology, including light and electron microscopy. Most of them require to specifically prepare the sample, precluding its use for further investigation. In contrast, micro-CT allows a sample to be studied in a non-destructive and rapid [...] Read more.
Many techniques are used today to study insect morphology, including light and electron microscopy. Most of them require to specifically prepare the sample, precluding its use for further investigation. In contrast, micro-CT allows a sample to be studied in a non-destructive and rapid process, even without specific treatments that might hinder the use of rare and hard-to-find species in nature. We used synchrotron radiation (SR) micro-CT and conventional micro-CT to prepare 3D reconstructions of Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera species that had been processed with 4 common preparation procedures: critical-point drying, sputter-coating, resin embedding, and air-drying. Our results showed that it is possible to further utilize insect samples prepared with the aforementioned preparation techniques for the creation of 3D models. Specimens dried at the critical point showed the best results, allowing us to faithfully reconstruct both their external surface and their internal structures, while sputter-coated insects were the most troublesome for the 3D reconstruction procedure. Air-dried specimens were suitable for external morphological analyses, while anatomical investigation of soft internal organs was not possible due to their shrinking and collapsing. The sample included in resin allowed us to reconstruct and appreciate the external cuticle and the internal parts. In this work, we demonstrate that insect samples destined to different analyses can be used for new micro-CT studies, further deepening the possibility of state-of-the-art morphological analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Surface: Novel Non-destructive Techniques to Explore Works of Art)
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12 pages, 2838 KiB  
Article
Fluorescence Lifetime Phasor Analysis and Raman Spectroscopy of Pigmented Organic Binders and Coatings Used in Artworks
by Alice Dal Fovo, Sara Mattana, Antonina Chaban, Diego Quintero Balbas, João Luis Lagarto, Jana Striova, Riccardo Cicchi and Raffaella Fontana
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010179 - 24 Dec 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3336
Abstract
Fluorescence analysis of materials used as binders and coatings in artworks is often hampered by numerous factors, leading to uncertainties in data interpretation. Fluorescence lifetime (FL) measurements enable improvement of the specificity with respect to steady-state measurements by resolving the decay dynamics of [...] Read more.
Fluorescence analysis of materials used as binders and coatings in artworks is often hampered by numerous factors, leading to uncertainties in data interpretation. Fluorescence lifetime (FL) measurements enable improvement of the specificity with respect to steady-state measurements by resolving the decay dynamics of the fluorophore emissions. In this work, layers of natural resin, oil, and wax—in pure form, pigmented, in mixtures, and spread on different substrates—were analyzed using a compact, portable, fiber-based FL instrument. FL data were processed via the phasor method and integrated with Raman spectroscopy to obtain complementary chemical information on the different substances. It was observed that the τ-phase of the mixtures is affected by both the pigments and the dispersing medium, and that the presence of the metal substrate contributes to changes in the FL of mixtures. The results obtained with our portable FL system combined with Raman spectroscopy pave the way for a systematic study of a larger number of materials for future in situ applications on works of art. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Surface: Novel Non-destructive Techniques to Explore Works of Art)
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16 pages, 4787 KiB  
Article
A New Methodological Approach to Correlate Protective and Microscopic Properties by Soft X-ray Microscopy and Solid State NMR Spectroscopy: The Case of Cusa’s Stone
by Veronica Ciaramitaro, Alberto Spinella, Francesco Armetta, Roberto Scaffaro, Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino, George Kourousias, Alessandra Gianoncelli, Eugenio Caponetti and Maria Luisa Saladino
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5767; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135767 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2302
Abstract
Hydrophobic treatment is one of the most important interventions usually carried out for the conservation of stone artefacts and monuments. The study here reported aims to answer a general question about how two polymers confer different protective performance. Two fluorinated-based polymer formulates applied [...] Read more.
Hydrophobic treatment is one of the most important interventions usually carried out for the conservation of stone artefacts and monuments. The study here reported aims to answer a general question about how two polymers confer different protective performance. Two fluorinated-based polymer formulates applied on samples of Cusa’s stone confer a different level of water repellence and water vapour permeability. The observed protection action is here explained on the basis of chemico-physical interactions. The distribution of the polymer in the pore network was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy. The interactions between the stone substrate and the protective agents were investigated by means of solid state NMR spectroscopy. The ss-NMR findings reveal no significant changes in the chemical neighbourhood of the observed nuclei of each protective agent when applied onto the stone surface and provide information on the changes in the organization and dynamics of the studied systems, as well as on the mobility of polymer chains. This allowed us to explain the different macroscopic behaviours provided by each protective agent to the stone substrate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Surface: Novel Non-destructive Techniques to Explore Works of Art)
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