Analysis of the distribution of titanium oxide nanoparticles on paintings

Abstract

This work is addressed to analyse the distribution of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on painting crossing data coming from two methodologies. Scanning Electron Microscope and Proton Induced X-Ray emission techniques have been employed in the study of the interaction between a colloidal dispersion constituted by titanium dioxide nanoparticles and the painting surface. The former e was used to understand and morphology of the painting and to investigate the distribution of the nanoparticles on the entire cross section of the pictorial layers. Proton induced X-ray emission is aimed at examining the surface titanium distribution by mapping. This study is important because the exploitation of the photocatalytic activity of the titanium dioxide is possible only in the case of absorption of proper energy that can promote the oxide reduction reactions and thus the dirt and dust degradation.

Hydrophobic and Photocatalytic Treatment for the Conservation of Painted Lecce stone in Outdoor Conditions: A New Cleaning Approach

“…Great interest has been directed in recent years towards the study and use of miniinvasive, efficient and environmentally friendly methods for cleaning surfaces [41][42][43][44][45][46]. Among the innovative cleaning methods of architectural elements, the use of photocatalysis has been largely investigated [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54], with the most used photocatalyst being based on titanium oxide (TiO 2 ). In a heterogeneous photocatalysis system, the photoinduced transformations occur on the surface of the photocatalyst when light of appropriate wavelengths is absorbed (for example, TiO 2 in the anatase form has a band gap of about 3.2 eV, corresponding to λ max ≈ 388 nm) with the production of electron-hole pairs.…”