Volume 131, Issue 34 pp. 11778-11782
Zuschrift

Revealing the Distribution of Metal Carboxylates in Oil Paint from the Micro- to Nanoscale

Dr. Xiao Ma

Dr. Xiao Ma

Scientific Research Department, Division of Conservation, National Gallery of Art, 2000B South Club Drive, Landover, MD, 20785 USA

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Dr. Victoria Beltran

Dr. Victoria Beltran

IPANEMA, CNRS, ministère de la Culture et de la Communication Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, USR 3461, Université Paris-Saclay, 91128 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Georg Ramer

Dr. Georg Ramer

Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899 USA

Maryland Nanocenter, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742 USA

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Georges Pavlidis

Dr. Georges Pavlidis

Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899 USA

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Dr. Dilworth Y. Parkinson

Dr. Dilworth Y. Parkinson

Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Rd., Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA

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Dr. Mathieu Thoury

Dr. Mathieu Thoury

IPANEMA, CNRS, ministère de la Culture et de la Communication Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, USR 3461, Université Paris-Saclay, 91128 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

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Prof. Tyler Meldrum

Prof. Tyler Meldrum

Department of Chemistry, William & Mary, 540 Landrum Drive, Williamsburg, VA, 23188 USA

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Dr. Andrea Centrone

Corresponding Author

Dr. Andrea Centrone

Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899 USA

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Dr. Barbara H. Berrie

Corresponding Author

Dr. Barbara H. Berrie

Scientific Research Department, Division of Conservation, National Gallery of Art, 2000B South Club Drive, Landover, MD, 20785 USA

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First published: 21 June 2019
Citations: 9

Abstract

Oil paints comprise pigments, drying oils, and additives that together confer desirable properties, but can react to form metal carboxylates (soaps) that may damage artworks over time. To obtain information on soap formation and aggregation, we introduce a new tapping-mode measurement paradigm for the photothermal induced resonance (PTIR) technique that enables nanoscale IR spectroscopy and imaging on highly heterogenous and rough paint thin sections. PTIR is used in combination with μ-computed tomography and IR microscopy to determine the distribution of metal carboxylates in a 23-year old oil paint of known formulation. Results show that heterogeneous agglomerates of Al-stearate and a Zn-carboxylate complex with Zn-stearate nano-aggregates in proximity are distributed randomly in the paint. The gradients of zinc carboxylates are unrelated to the Al-stearate distribution. These measurements open a new chemically sensitive nanoscale observation window on the distribution of metal soaps that can bring insights for understanding soap formation in oil paint.

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