The Coordinated Use of Synchrotron Spectroelectrochemistry for Corrosion Studies on Heritage Metals

摘要

Corrosion is a major source of degradation in heritage metalnobjects, and any remedial measures are subject to a strongn(Western) ethic that favors conservation as opposed to restoration.nAccordingly, major scientific challenges exist for developing appro-npriate treatment methods to stabilize and protect artifacts after theynare recovered from an archaeological site, both before and duringntheir display or storage in a museum. Because inappropriate treat-nments can cause irreversible damage to irreplaceable objects, it isncrucial that the chemical processes involved are fully understood andncharacterized before any preservation work is undertaken.nIn this regard, large infrastructural facilities such as synchro-ntrons, neutron sources, and particle accelerators provide a wealth ofnanalytical possibilities, unavailable in smaller scale laboratories. Inngeneral, the intensity of the radiation available allows measure-nments on a short time scale or with high spatial resolution (or both),nso heterogeneous changes induced by a chemical process can benrecorded while they occur. The penetrative nature of the radiationn(e.g., X-rays, protons, or neutrons) also allows a sample to be stud-nied in air. If necessary, complete artifacts (such as paintings or statuettes) can be examined. In situ analysis in a controlled envi-nronment, such as a liquid or corrosive atmosphere, also becomes an exciting possibility. Finally, there are many complementaryntechniques (local atomic structure or crystal structure determination, macroscopic 3-D imaging (tomographies), imaging chemicalnanalysis, and so on) so the many distinct details of a problem can be thoroughly explored.