Speaker
Description
Artefacts of interest in cultural heritage (CH) are often rare, precious, manifolds and complexes and their secrets are difficult to disclose.
The D11 instrument at Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) is a very unique instrument to investigate CH samples and their history. D11 uses: neutrons that are a no-destructive probe and the small angle neutron scattering (SANS) technique covering four decades in Q, i.e. it is able to investigate dimensions between the Å to some hundreds of microns, a very interesting range of investigation for complexes systems as those of interest in CH. Furthermore the fact that with neutrons we can investigate light elements and to use contrast methods to make in evidence some specific part of the systems makes D11 the best and very versatile instrument for these kind of studies. We will present here three applications of D11 to CH systems: a study on ancient paper to shade light on the mechanisms of the paper degradation [1]; a study of the porosity of ancient ceramic and how it is related to a specific technique of production and the historical context [2]; a study of the characteristics of nanoparticles of alkaline earth hydroxide to drive their production on large scale, for curative and preventive eco-friendly treatments of waterlogged wood [3].
References:
[1] M. Missori, C. Mondelli, M. de Spirito, C. Castellano, M. Bicchieri, R, Schweins, G. Arcovito, M. Papi and A. Congiu Castellano "Modifications of the mesoscopic structure of cellulose in paper degradation" Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 (2006) 238001
[2] Mondelli, C; Zorzi, S; Ricci, G; Galvan, V; Balliana, E; Schweins, R; E. Cattaruzza.
“Exploring the Porosity in Ceramics at the nm Scale: From Understanding Historical Ceramics to Innovative Materials Design” European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry (2020) Vol. 21, Issue 10, 966-970
[3] G. Taglieri, V. Daniele, L. Macera, R. Schweins, S. Zorzi, M. Capron, G. Chaumat and C. Mondelli
“Sustainable Nanotechnologies for Curative and Preventive Wood Deacidification Treatments: An Eco-Friendly and Innovative Approach.” Nanomaterials (2020) Volume 10, Issue 9, 1744
