INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGIES FOR APPLIED PETROGRAPHY
Academic Year 2022/2023 - Teacher: MARIA CRISTINA CAGGIANIExpected Learning Outcomes
The aim is to provide advanced knowledge about innovative analytical techniques for the characterization of stone materials, both natural and artificial, together with the know-how required to write research projects in the field of materials archaeometry, industrial processes and environmental issues.
Course Structure
Taught class; Practice exercises in the reading of scientific papers and redaction of a research project.
Required Prerequisites
Base knowledge of mineralogy, petrography, chemistry and physics is required.
Attendance of Lessons
Mandatory. For working students, see the guidelines of Catania University
If the lectures will be held in mixt mode or in remote, variations could be applied.
Detailed Course Content
Innovative analytical methodologies (destructive, non-destructive, micro-destructive and non-invasive); advanced applications to natural and artificial stone materials (stones, pigments, glass, traditional and industrial ceramics, plasters, mortars…) in the fields of archaeology (materials archaeometry), industry (production processes) and environment (effects of pollution on the stone materials).
Elemental techniques • Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Laser Ablation (LA-ICP-MS) • Hints to portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) • Case studies;
Molecular Vibrational techniques • Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), in Attenuated Total reflectance (ATR) and Diffuse reflectance (DRIFT) • Raman Spectroscopy and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) • Case studies;
Microscopy techniques • Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) • Comparison with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) • Case studies;
Multispectral Imaging techniques • UV fluorescence • IR reflectography • Case studies;
Synchrotron radiation and image analysis • Synchrotron radiation analysis and X-ray microtomography • 2D and 3D imaging • Case studies;
Other techniques based on synchrotron radiation • Synchrotron radiation X-ray Diffraction (SR-XRD) • X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) • Case studies;
Neutron-based techniques • Neutrons properties • Neutronography • Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and comparison with Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) • Time of flight neutron diffraction (TOF-ND) and comparison with classic X-ray Diffraction • Case studies;
Typologies and structure of a research project, practice exercise for the redaction of a final project.
Textbook Information
Course material (ppt slides) and scientific publication, available on the platform "Studium".
Suggested book:
Alfredo Castellano, Marco Martini, Emanuela Sibilia. “Elementi di archeometria. Metodi fisici per i beni culturali”, EGEA 2007.
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Traditional and innovative analytical techniques; comparison between destructive, non-destructive, micro-destructive and non-invasive techniques. Applications. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 2 | Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Laser Ablation (LA-ICP-MS); case studies. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 3 | Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF); case studies. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 4 | Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, FTIR-ATR, DRIFT); case studies. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 5 | Raman spectroscopy and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS); case studies. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 6 | Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and comparison with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM); case studies. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 7 | Multispectral imaging techniques; case studies. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 8 | Synchrotron radiation analysis and X-ray microtomography | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 9 | 2D and 3D image analysis | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 10 | Synchrotron radiation X-ray Diffraction (SR-XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS); case studies | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 11 | Neutron properties, neutronography. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 12 | Time of flight neutron diffraction (TOF-ND) and comparison with classic X-ray Diffraction; case studies. | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 13 | Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and comparison with Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP); case studies | Lectures slides and notes, scientific papers on the platform “Studium” |
| 14 | Applications in the fields of cultural heritage, industry and environment. | Scientific papers on the platform “Studium” divided according to the subject |
| 15 | Redaction of a research project | Lectures slides and notes |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Redaction of a research project; oral exam concerning the subjects of the course.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
Questions concerning the presented research project
Choice of the best suited methodologies to solve a given problem
Distinction of elemental and molecular techniques
Types of answers that can be obtained from a given technique
Comparison between traditional and innovative methods