Dissemination


PHASE 1

Mock-up preparation to irradiate with laser

Painting mock-ups to irradiate with laser

Tablets

Fresco

Tempera

Cave

PHASE 2

Mock-up laser irradiation

Testing the laser radiation effects in pigments

Nd:YAG

Q-Switched Quanta Ray INDI-series (Spectra Physiss)

Wavelength: 1064nm, 532nm, 355nm, 266n

Pulse duration: 6ns

Universidade de Vigo
Nd:YVO4

Laser AVIA Ultra 355-2000nm (Coherent)

Wavelength: 355nm

Pulse duration: 25ns

Universidade da Coruña
Irradiating orpiment with egg yolk with Nd:YVO4
Irradiating a quartzite with hematite and casein with Nd:YVO4
Spirit

Laser Spirit System (Spectra-Physis)

Wavelength: 1040nm

Pulse duration: 380fs

Universidade da Coruña
SFR

Laser Nd:YAG Short free Running Quanta System Smart Clean II (El.En Group)

Wavelength: 1064nm

Pulse duration: 110ns

Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale”
LQS

Laser Nd:YAG Long Q-Switched EOS 1000 (El.En Group)

Wavelength: 1064nm

Pulse duration: 100ns

Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale”
QS

Laser Nd:YAG Q-Switched Thunder Art (El.En Group)

Wavelength: 1064nm

Pulse duration: 8ns

Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale”
AFL

Laser Yt-doped core Active Fiber Laser

Wavelength: 1064nm

Pulse duration: 30ns

Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale”
Light Brush 1

Laser Er:YAG (El.En Group)

Wavelength: 2940nm

Pulse duration: 150ns

Università di Pisa
Light Brush 2

Laser Er-:YAG (El.En Group)

Wavelength: 2940nm

Pulse duration: 150ns (very short mode), 250ns (short mode), and 400ns (long mode)

Università di Pisa
PHASE 3

Artificially ageing of the mock-ups

Using a climatic chamber with gases exposure


Universidade de Lisboa

Climatic Chamber Fitoclima 300EDTU (ARALAB) with gases exposure at the following conditions:

  • Relative humidity: 80%
  • Temperature: 18ºC
  • [SO2]: 200 ppm

The prepared samples were exposed to SO2 in taht equipment for 40 days

PHASE 4

Aged mock-ups

Laser irradiation


Use of different lasers for the removal of a layer of diesel soot on de paintings after 40 days in the climatic chamber.

PHASE 5

Transfer results to real artwork

Transfer result to real artwork


PHASE 6

Connecting to society

Connecting to society


Javier Martínez Barreiro is a bachelor student from the School of Mining and Energy of the University of Vigo. His bachelor thesis is focused on the characterisation of the tempera mock-ups before and after an accelerated ageing test. Mock-ups were introduced in a climatic chamber from IST in Lisbon (Portugal) and exposed to SO2, (200 ppm) temperature (18ºC) and humidity (80%) for 40 days. He is studying what happened after that exposure.

For that characterisation, our student had to prepare superficial samples and cross-sections for subsequent visualisation by Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM). In addition, a X-Ray Diffraction is used for the determination of mineralogical composition.


Dissemination day 

2025-02-03

On Monday, February 3rd, 3rd and 4th year students from the Escola Superior de Conservación e Restauración de Bens Culturais de Galicia (ESCRBC) of Pontevedra visited the laboratory of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Group (GESSMin group) and the characterisation laboratory of CINTECX.  

On the one hand, Prof. Pozo was explaining the ongoing projects: Lasering-PH and SOS-Murals (safeguarding urban muralism: cleaning and protection), being the PI of both projects. On the other hand, Prof. Rivas told them about other activities such as the characterisation of materials and the diagnosis of cave paintings and the scientific-technical assistance to companies in the sector. 

Afterwards, the students visited the group’s and CINTECX’s laboratories to observe the diverse analytical methods that were available, including stereomicroscopy, polarised light microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), spectrophotometry and hyperspectral imaging. 

We hope it has been as enriching as it has been for us and see you in the labs. 

This study is part of the research project PID2021-123395OA-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, by the “European Union” and, by the Xunta de Galicia ED431F 2022/07 project. For more information: https://laseringph.webs.uvigo.es/.