Multianalytical characterization study of degradation products from synthetic materials used in contemporary art

During 19th and 20th centuries, the industrial revolution and synthetic chemistry development provided artists new materials, characterized by different properties in comparison to traditional art’s materials: in fact, synthetic organic pigments present vibrant shades and they are less expensive and easier to use than ancient ones, while synthetic polymeric art binders are characterized by shorter drying-time and . However, because their recent origin and industrial nature, it is not possible to know their behavior in a pictorial film during natural ageing and it is hard to predict their stability in exposition environment, that is a combination of several factors –UV and visible light components, temperature, Relative Humidity. This study –part of a PhD project- is focused on chemical characterization of degradation products from synthetic organic pigments and polymeric binders used in contemporary paintings: degradation process is realized through artificial ageing in photochemical stress conditions (UVB lamp with high Lux level) and monitoring environmental parameters ( temperature, Relative Humidity). The characterization of degradations products is studied through some spectroscopic techniques commonly used in cultural heritage studies: particularly, ATR-IR and Raman spectroscopies can provide important information on variations of chemical bonds during accelerated ageing. These spectra can also represent a direct reference for cultural heritage diagnostics on contemporary artworks. To confirm spectroscopic measurements, other techniques are used, as UV-Vis spectroscopy, NMR and Mass Spectrometry: combinations of all these techniques can provide a complete structural characterization of painting degradation products and it can result useful to understand ageing processes than involve a pictorial film in contemporary artworks.