DSC Application in the Conservation Field

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been scarcely used in conservation field and in particular, in the study of painting layers. However DSC is a micro-destructive technique (sample from .05 to 1 mg can be analysed) because no pre-treatment of the sample is required and so it can give rapid and useful information. The aim of the present work is, in fact, to describe useful applications of DSC on the study of materials used in art. The analyses have been conducted under oxygen flow in order to register the thermo-oxidative reactions of the organic binder or protective. In the first part of the paper, materials of different chemical composition have been analysed to build up a data base of DSC profiles. Standard painting layers artificially degraded by treatment with ultraviolet light (365 nm) for 21 days and with NOx (5 ppm)have be en analysed. Comparing the behaviour of the treated to the reference sample, it is useful to study what kind of changes the treatments have produced on the sample. Another possible application of DSC is the study of the formation of the film; analysing the raw,liquid binders and the different naturally aged films an evolution of the chemical structure canbe registered.