Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

1) Fundamentals of Electrochemistry The electrochemical cell and its components (electrodes and electrolytes); reference electrodes; cell voltage calculation. Thermodynamics and kinectics of the electrochemical processes; ohmic overpotentials and electrodic polarizations, due to: diffusion, charge-transfer and crystallization. 2) Electrochemical processes Corrosion: thermodinamic principles of the electrochemical corrosion, construction and evaluation of Pourbaix diagrams for metals of interest to determine their stability parameters; description of corrosion-related mechanisms and kinetics, Evans diagrams; passivation and methods to prevent corrosion. Electrodeposition: fundamental and quantitative parameters of an electrodeposition experiment; electrochemical coverage of metal artfacts. 3) Electrochemical methods Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to evaluate corrosion processes: theory and applications. Cyclic voltammetry for the evaluation of redox species of interest: theory and applications (pigments). 4) Physical-chemical methodes Laser spectroscopy techniques (seminar) for the study of works of art and architectural heritage: theory and applications. Lab Exercises: i) evaluation of surface phenomena on metallic samples by cyclic voltammetry and/or electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; ii) investigation of materials properties by laser spectroscopy (to be agreed).

a) Knowledge of Italian language. b) Knowledge of Chemistry fundamentals: atom, molecule, chemical bonding, themodynamic principals and quantities. c) Knowledge of inter-atomic forces responsible for matter cohesion and chemical bondings characteristics.

W.F. Smith, J. Hashemi Scienza e tecnologia dei materiali (IV edizione). McGraw-Hill C.H. Hamann, A. Hamnett, W. Vielstich Electrochemistry. Ed. Wiley-VCH M.A. Navarra Elettrochimica: principi e metodi (booklet). Lecture notes and supplementary material provided by the techear.

It is recommended to attend the lesson in the classroom, being the teacher used to interact with students in order to stimulate a fast, easier comprehension. Books and lectures notes are anyhow exhaustive of the course contents. Lab exercises are planned in agreement with the students and, if not attended, their repetition is not guaranteed.

The oral final examination will be carried out after the end of the course, during official scheduled sessions. To pass the exam the student must obtain a grade of not less than 18/30. The student must demonstrate that he/she has acquired a sufficient knowledge of the electrochemical phenomena undergoing in materials used in the works of art and of the methods adopted for the investigation of their conservation state. To achieve a score of 30/30 cum laude, the student must instead demonstrate that he/she has acquired excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course, being able to link them in a logical and coherent way.

- Emilio Cano, Diana Lafuente, David M. Bastidas. J Solid State Electrochem 14 (2010) 381–391: Use of EIS for the evaluation of the protective properties of coatings for metallic cultural heritage: a review. - Ligia Maria Moretto, Francesca Montagner, Renzo Ganzerla, Paolo Ugo. Anal Bioanal Chem 405 (2013) 3603–3610: Nafion® as advanced immobilisation substrate for the voltammetric analysis of electroactive microparticles: the case of some artistic colouring agents. - Valeria Spizzichino, et al. Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks XI, Proceedings of LACONA XI, P. Targowski et al. (Eds.), NCU Press, Toruń 2017, DOI: 10.12775/3875-4.18: Laser-based techniques for a multidisciplinary action aimed at the restitutive restoration of S. Costanzo church in Ronciglione (Italy). - Valeria Spizzichino, Roberta Fantoni. Spectrochimica Acta Part B 99 (2014) 201–209: Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy in archeometry: A review of its application and future perspectives.

Teaching lessons related to the four modules in the class-room (5 CFU = 40 hours) will be carried out by using the black-board, slides projection and the other informatic tools available. The slides and the booklet with the teacher's notes will be provided to the students (through Moodle E-learning platform). At the end of each module there will be a review lesson and a self-evaluation test that students will perform anonymously in Google Form. Lab exercises (1 CFU = 12 hours) will be carried out in the teacher’s laboratory of research, through the equipment that the teacher makes available; at the end of each experience, the teacher will share the recorded data for the preparation of a written report by the students. On-line lectures will be delivered according to guidelines/recommendations of the University.