Núria Ferrer
Serveis Científicotècnics, Universitat de Barcelona, Lluís Solé i Sabarís, 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Applications of infrared spectroscopy to solve problems related to cultural heritage have been growing steadily during the last few years. People working in the field of conservation and restoration have become increasingly aware of the potential and value of using instrumental analyses; this demand involves spectroscopists and scientists developing new methodologies that can be applied to samples from museums and other related institutions.

Following from the coupling of microscopes to spectrometers, applications, including analysis of pigments, varnishes, textiles, papers, inks, polymers etc., in or on very tiny samples and in all kinds of matrices have increased dramatically. Most of the samples that require analysis are unique and valuable, and often it is impossible to remove even a very small particle from the matrix. This means that, among the instrumental analysis methods, the infrared microscope is one of the options most frequently employed for such characterisations. Two main sampling methods are used with the microscope. The first consists of removing a very small amount of sample from the matrix; normally a particle about 20 µm across is sufficient. This can then be compressed between two diamond windows in a compression cell, so as to spread the sample and produce a thin film that can be measured by transmission. The second method is used when it is not possible to remove particles from the matrix; it then becomes necessary to use internal reflection spectroscopy in which the attenuated total reflectance (ATR) objective containing the high refractive index ATR crystal is pressed against the surface of the sample. These methods, together with the other more conventional approaches, allow for the analysis of most of the samples by mid-infrared spectroscopy related to problems of conservation.

Our laboratory has received several requests from public or private institutions to solve problems related to conservation and restoration of samples from cultural heritage. A brief description of the FT-IR methodologies used to solve some of them is detailed within this article.

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