Cultural Heritage

The Cultural Heritage Laboratory is devoted to study and characterize inorganic materials in cultural heritage through chemical-physical analyses, non-invasive (X diffraction from powders: XRPD, X-ray
fluorescence: XRF) and imaging (X-ray, IR reflectography, UV imaging and induced fluorescence imaging (i.e., VIL imaging) and optical microscopy with focus stacking. Analyses are performed both in laboratory and in situ.
The laboratory is equipped with:
– Four-circle Eulerian geometry diffractometer model XCS-Huber with Spellmann XLG50P100 RX generator (HVmax = 50 kV and Pmax = 100 W) and NaI scintillator counter.
– Spellmann XRM65P50 RX generator (HVmax = 65 kV and Pmax = 50 W)

The following instrumentation is also available (Prof. Marcello Colapietro):
– XRF Instrumentation: RX generator from EISS s.r.l., with tungsten anode (W) HVmax = 38 kV and Pmax = 13 W Peltier cell cooled SSD (Silicon Drift Detector) detector and MCA (Multi Channel Analyser) analyser from Amptek. Resolution: 145 eV at 5.9 keV (Mn Kα) with laser-based optical pointing system and digital microscope.
– Imaging equipment: Starlight CCD camera (mod. Trius Sx694) (2750 X 2200 pixels) with professional lens.
– IR imaging: Specific filters (OD>4). Polychromatic and monochromatic IR illuminators 850 nm and 1100 nm
– UV and VIL imaging: Specific filters (OD>4). Monochromatic UV Illuminators 385 nm
– Imaging X: Imaging Plate (IP) detector for collecting digital images measuring 27.7 cm X 14.40 cm, with a 16-bit greyscale and 600 dpi resolution and its scanner (mod. Carestream Kodak CR7400). Intensified CCD camera from Photonic Science (mod. XRI) with FOS Hamamatsu for micro-X-ray
– Optical microscopy: Bresser optical microscope (50X) with professional Nikon camera (mod. D3000).
– Multi-purpose system called “Totem” consisting of a system of XYZ motorized slides. The X and Y slides have a range of ±20 cm, the Z slide can reach up to 2 m from the base surface. Movements are controlled with <1 mm precision. The Totem can be used with the XRF, X, UV and IR imaging instrumentation described above.
– Spectrophotometry: Mightex UV/VIS/NIR spectrophotometer (200 – 1050 nm). Ocean Optics HL-2000 source (tungsten-halogen lamp)