Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystallography and Physical Chemistry of Minerals & Nanominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2021) | Viewed by 18259

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Basic Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy
Interests: non-destructive analyses; archaeometry; pigments; metals; ceramics
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Guest Editor
National Laboratory of Frascati (LNF) - National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Via E. Fermi 40, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Interests: non-invasive techniques for the analyses of cultural heritage; infrared spectroscopy with conventional sources and synchrotron radiation; multispectral imaging; X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy; infrared reflectography; multivariate analyses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The knowledge of the chemical and physical properties of materials and of the modifications, alterations and interactions to which they undergo is based on the study of their spectral behavior. Among the materials, mineral pigments, in their natural and synthetic form, are a research subject of great interest. Their features, such as to have an own color or the capability of changing the optical and physical properties of the materials to which they are added, make them extensively employed in a wide range of applications.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight researches on the spectral behavior of mineral pigments in all the spectral ranges (X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, etc.) carried out with conventional or advanced techniques or methods. This special issue encourages to submit papers on several topics such as geology, archaeometry, coatings, cosmetics, chemical industry, orthopaedic engineering, nanomaterials, etc.

Dr. Anna Candida Felici
Dr. Lucilla Pronti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Spectroscopy
  • Characterization
  • Mineral pigments
  • Archaeometry
  • Cosmetics
  • Coatings
  • Chemical industry
  • Orthopaedic engineering
  • Nanomaterials

Published Papers (7 papers)

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15 pages, 80922 KiB  
Article
Optimized Method for Mapping Inorganic Pigments by Means of Multispectral Imaging Combined with Hyperspectral Spectroscopy for the Study of Vincenzo Pasqualoni’s Wall Painting at the Basilica of S. Nicola in Carcere in Rome
by Lucilla Pronti, Giuseppe Capobianco, Margherita Vendittelli, Anna Candida Felici, Silvia Serranti and Giuseppe Bonifazi
Minerals 2021, 11(8), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11080839 - 02 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1989
Abstract
Multispectral imaging is a preliminary screening technique for the study of paintings. Although it permits the identification of several mineral pigments by their spectral behavior, it is considered less performing concerning hyperspectral imaging, since a limited number of wavelengths are selected. In this [...] Read more.
Multispectral imaging is a preliminary screening technique for the study of paintings. Although it permits the identification of several mineral pigments by their spectral behavior, it is considered less performing concerning hyperspectral imaging, since a limited number of wavelengths are selected. In this work, we propose an optimized method to map the distribution of the mineral pigments used by Vincenzo Pasqualoni for his wall painting placed at the Basilica of S. Nicola in Carcere in Rome, combining UV/VIS/NIR reflectance spectroscopy and multispectral imaging. The first method (UV/VIS/NIR reflectance spectroscopy) allowed us to characterize pigment layers with a high spectral resolution; the second method (UV/VIS/NIR multispectral imaging) permitted the evaluation of the pigment distribution by utilizing a restricted number of wavelengths. Combining the results obtained from both devices was possible to obtain a distribution map of a pictorial layer with a high accuracy level of pigment recognition. The method involved the joint use of point-by-point hyperspectral spectroscopy and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify the pigments in the color palette and evaluate the possibility to discriminate all the pigments recognized, using a minor number of wavelengths acquired through the multispectral imaging system. Finally, the distribution and the spectral difference of the different pigments recognized in the multispectral images, (in this case: red ochre, yellow ochre, orpiment, cobalt blue-based pigments, ultramarine and chrome green) were shown through PCA false-color images. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments)
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16 pages, 3155 KiB  
Article
Consistent Characterization of Color Degradation Due to Artificial Aging Procedures at Popular Pigments of Byzantine Iconography
by Stamatios Amanatiadis, Georgios Apostolidis and Georgios Karagiannis
Minerals 2021, 11(7), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070782 - 19 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3028
Abstract
The degradation effects of artificial aging on the “true” pigment color of Byzantine iconography are thoroughly investigated in this work. For this purpose, a multi-material palette is fabricated, consisting of various popular egg-tempera pigments, while the original recipes from the literature are utilized [...] Read more.
The degradation effects of artificial aging on the “true” pigment color of Byzantine iconography are thoroughly investigated in this work. For this purpose, a multi-material palette is fabricated, consisting of various popular egg-tempera pigments, while the original recipes from the literature are utilized in order to mimic the genuine art of Byzantine painters. Then, artificial aging procedures are appropriately employed to simulate environmental fluctuations in historical buildings, such as churches. A total of four time steps are investigated, including the initial condition, and pigments’ spectra in the ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) area are acquired in the diffuse reflectance mode at each individual step. Moreover, a color characterization procedure is realized via the quantification of lightness and saturation by means of the measured UV/Vis spectrum. The main objectives of this work are to determine the color stability, the type of color degradation, and generally the color response through time of the studied pigments. The extracted results indicate that a couple of pigments suffer severe color degradation while the majority present moderate darkening or discoloration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments)
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15 pages, 15169 KiB  
Article
Revealing Artists’ Collaboration in a 14th Century Manuscript by Non-Invasive Analyses
by Michela Perino, Lucilla Pronti, Lucrezia Gaia Di Forti, Martina Romani, Cecilia Taverna, Lola Massolo, Francesca Manzari, Mariangela Cestelli-Guidi, Alessandro Nucara and Anna Candida Felici
Minerals 2021, 11(7), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070771 - 16 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2712
Abstract
In the last decades, the working methods of late medieval illuminators have been widely discussed by art historians and codicologists. Non-invasive analyses are able to characterise the painting methods of illuminators as well as investigate artistic collaborations among them. The aim of this [...] Read more.
In the last decades, the working methods of late medieval illuminators have been widely discussed by art historians and codicologists. Non-invasive analyses are able to characterise the painting methods of illuminators as well as investigate artistic collaborations among them. The aim of this study was to characterise the painting palettes and techniques of different artists who illuminated two leaves from an early fourteenth century manuscript. The analyses were carried out with non-invasive and portable techniques such as Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometry, Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) and Raman spectroscopy. The paper highlights the differences among three rich and varied palettes and examines the pigments ultramarine, azurite, verdigris, earths, orpiment, red lead, vermillion, lead white, yellow lake, indigo, brazilwood and lac, used independently or in mixtures. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of non-invasive analyses as a tool to differentiate hands of artists who have worked on the same page. Furthermore, the comparison with analyses carried out on leaves attributed to the workshop of Pacino di Bonaguida allows to investigate in-depth the production of the main illuminators active in Florence at the dawn of the Renaissance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments)
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26 pages, 7410 KiB  
Article
Nonlinear Mixing Characteristics of Reflectance Spectra of Typical Mineral Pigments
by Shuqiang Lyu, Die Meng, Miaole Hou, Shuai Tian, Chunhao Huang and Jincheng Mao
Minerals 2021, 11(6), 626; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11060626 - 12 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2477
Abstract
Hyperspectral technology has been used to identify pigments that adhere to the surfaces of polychrome artifacts. However, the colors are often produced by the mixing of pigments, which requires that the spectral characteristics of the pigment mixtures be considered before pigment unmixing is [...] Read more.
Hyperspectral technology has been used to identify pigments that adhere to the surfaces of polychrome artifacts. However, the colors are often produced by the mixing of pigments, which requires that the spectral characteristics of the pigment mixtures be considered before pigment unmixing is conducted. Therefore, we proposed an experimental approach to investigate the nonlinear degree of spectral reflectance, using several mixing models, and to evaluate their performances in the study of typical mineral pigments. First, five mineral pigments of azurite, malachite, cinnabar, orpiment, and calcite were selected to form five groups of samples, according to their different mass ratios. Second, a fully constrained least squares algorithm based on the linear model and three algorithms based on the nonlinear model were employed to calculate the proportion of each pigment in the mixtures. We evaluated the abundance accuracy as well as the similarity between the measured and reconstructed spectra produced by those mixing models. Third, we conducted pigment unmixing on a Chinese painting to verify the applicability of the nonlinear model. Fourth, continuum removal was also introduced to test the nonlinearity of mineral pigment mixing. Finally, the results indicated that the spectral mixing of different mineral pigments was more in line with the nonlinear mixing model. The spectral nonlinearity of mixed pigments was higher near to the wavelength corresponding to their colors. Meanwhile, the nonlinearity increased with the wavelength increases in the shortwave infrared bands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments)
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16 pages, 5599 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Waste Sludge Pigment from Production of ZnCl2
by Hana Ovčačíková, Marek Velička, Petra Maierová, Jozef Vlček, Jonáš Tokarský and Tomáš Čegan
Minerals 2021, 11(3), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11030313 - 17 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2353
Abstract
This study is focused on the treatment of waste sludge from a zinc chloride production in order to prepare iron-rich pigments usable for a production of glazes. In galvanizing plants, yellow waste sludge containing significant amount of ZnO, Cl, and Fe2O [...] Read more.
This study is focused on the treatment of waste sludge from a zinc chloride production in order to prepare iron-rich pigments usable for a production of glazes. In galvanizing plants, yellow waste sludge containing significant amount of ZnO, Cl, and Fe2O3, is formed. This raw waste sludge cannot be used as a pigment in glaze. Therefore, three methods of treating this material were proposed: (a) washing with H2O, (b) calcination at 180 °C and washing by H2O, and (c) calcination at 900 °C and washing by H2O. These methods helped to reduce Zn and Cl content up to 97%. According to X-ray fluorescence analysis percentage of Fe2O3 increased from ~41% to ~98%. X-ray power diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of α-Fe2O3 (hematite) in the pigment prepared. Scanning electron microscopy with Energy dispersive X-ray analysis showed clusters of rounded particles, and also the change in size of particles after calcination was observed. Particle size, specific surface area, and density measurements together with thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses were performed. Pigments prepared from the waste sludge were added to transparent glaze in amounts of 1, 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. Pigment-containing glazes were applied by spraying on fired ceramic tiles and then fired at 1060 °C. Color of glazes was determined by (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage) CIE L*a*b* coordinates as colorless, light brown shades, brown-red, brown-yellow, and deep red-brown. Comparison with colors of glazes prepared using commercial pigments was also performed. Waste sludge can be used to prepare pigments and glazes containing pigments as an alternative to commercial products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments)
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15 pages, 2967 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on the Link between Optical Emission, Crystal Defects and Photocatalytic Activity of Artist Pigments Based on Zinc Oxide
by Alessia Artesani, Maria Vittoria Dozzi, Lucia Toniolo, Gianluca Valentini and Daniela Comelli
Minerals 2020, 10(12), 1129; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10121129 - 15 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2102
Abstract
The historical knowledge inherited from house paint documents and the experimental research on synthetic pigments show that production methods have an important role in the performance of paint. In this regard, this work investigates the links existing between the optical emission, crystal defects [...] Read more.
The historical knowledge inherited from house paint documents and the experimental research on synthetic pigments show that production methods have an important role in the performance of paint. In this regard, this work investigates the links existing between the optical emission, crystal defects and photocatalytic activity of zinc white pigment from different contemporary factories, with the aim of elucidating the effects of these characteristics onto the tendency of the pigment to induce paint failures. The analysed samples display highly similar crystallite structure, domain size, and specific surface area, whilst white pigments differ from pure ZnO in regards to the presence of zinc carbonate hydrate that is found as a foreign compound. In contrast, the photoluminescence measurements categorize the analysed samples into two groups, which display different trap-assisted emissions ascribed to point crystal defects introduced during the synthesis process, and associated to Zn or O displacement. The photocatalytic degradation tests infer that the emerged defective structure and specific surface area of ZnO-based samples influence their tendency to oxidize organic molecules under light irradiation. In particular, the results indicate that the zinc interstitial defects may be able to promote the photogenerated electron-hole couples separation with a consequent increase of the overall ZnO photocatalytic activity, negatively affecting the binding medium stability. This groundwork paves the way for further studies on the link between the photoluminescence emission of the zinc white pigment and its tendency to decompose organic components contained in the binding medium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments)
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9 pages, 4260 KiB  
Case Report
Raman Spectroscopy Analysis of the Mural Pigments in Lam Rim Hall of Wudang Lamasery, Baotou Area, Inner Mongolia, China
by Yi-Xuan Zheng, Xiang He, Xin Li, Kun-Long Chen, Hong Guo and Xiao-Xuan Pan
Minerals 2022, 12(4), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12040456 - 08 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2111
Abstract
This paper presents scientific analyses of the wall paintings in Wudang Lamasery, which is located in the Baotou area of Inner Mongolia, China. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the pigments of the mural of the Lam rim Hall. The results show that [...] Read more.
This paper presents scientific analyses of the wall paintings in Wudang Lamasery, which is located in the Baotou area of Inner Mongolia, China. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the pigments of the mural of the Lam rim Hall. The results show that vermilion, red lead, chrome yellow, emerald green and synthetic ultramarine were used. The existence of synthetic pigments provides a clue for the date the mural was painted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectral Behavior of Mineral Pigments)
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