Many areas of material science have been transformed by the use of synchrotron radiation X-rays, including the fields of cultural heritage materials and biomineralization. This book presents a selection of contributions that illustrate recent developments and applications of these tools, focused either on the main techniques used in the cultural heritage and biomineralization communities or on specific materials, studying their intrinsic properties or how they change with time. Each chapter can be read alone, and each individually demonstrates the intimate links between materials and methods. The chapters explore the main principles of synchrotron radiation, as well as techniques based on X-ray absorption and diffraction, and give an overview of how these approaches have developed in recent decades in the field of cultural heritage, with specific examples such as ancient ceramics, corrosion of iron-based materials, concrete used in Roman monuments and the biomineralization process in sea urchin spines.

Synchrotron radiation is today extensively used for fundamental and applied research in many different fields of science. Its exceptional characteristics in terms of intensity, brilliance, spectral range, time structure and now also coherence pushed many experimental techniques to previously un-reachable limits, enabling the performance of experiments unbelievable only few years ago. The book gives an up-to-date overview of synchrotron radiation research today with a view to the future, starting from its generation and sources, its interaction with matter, illustrating the main experimental technique employed and provides an overview of the main fields of research in which new and innovative results are obtained. The book is addressed to PhD students and young researchers to provide both an introductory and a rather deep knowledge of the field. It will also be helpful to experienced researcher who want to approach the field in a professional way.

What does it mean to be at the forefront of a characterization technique? Novel implementation and research, finding new ways to visualize composites, and new techniques all play a role. Yet with the myriad of advances in the field, keeping up with new and advanced techniques, often from many different areas, has become a challenge. Biomineralization Sourcebook: Characterization of Biominerals and Biomimetic Materials emphasizes the interplay between multiple techniques at their current frontiers and explores how such studies may be carried out. The book addresses atomic and molecular structure: how it is described, detected, and assessed for importance. It then highlights additional measurements especially well-suited to looking at two- and three-dimensional systems with heterogeneous, if not hierarchical, structure. These systems enable particular aspects of biominerals and biomimetic models to be scrutinized. The text presents state-of-the-art methods to assess properties of the composite, and represents current approaches and aspirations to measuring entire biological working structures while retaining as much fine-grained biophysical information as possible. In all these chapters, authors showcase discoveries from their own programs. Along the way, the book takes you on a tour from microscopy's eighteenth century roots, to the recent literature and diverse research programs of the contributing investigators, to the multi-million dollar National Laboratory facilities that all play their roles to illuminate the ever-fascinating biominerals. A snapshot of the state of the art in a spectrum of experimental techniques applied to a common interdisciplinary goal, where the ability to use the more advanced techniques often requires funding for collaboration and travel, the book will deepen the appreciation for the massive interdisciplinary effort underway, educate researchers across the field, and motivate new collaborations.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience.Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

Fungi-induced stains on paper are one of the most challenging forms of biodeterioration to study and to prevent; this is because they involve living organisms, and the ways in which fungi respond to changes in the environment and modifications of paper are unpredictable. Yet, there is a great desire among those who encounter fungi on documents, manuscripts, or artwork to remove fungi and clean the paper. This experience in most cases is particularly challenging. What are the reasons behind this challenge? This ground-breaking book attempts to answer this question, among others, by exploring the complex interfacial forces between paper, fungi, and their pigmented secretions which result in bio-stains on paper. Black fungi, collectively referred to as Dematiaceous fungi, were used in this study as a subset of pigment-producing fungi species. The focus is on two, under-studied aspects of the fungi infestation of paper, an interface of fungal pigments and paper, and the impact of light on the production of fungi bio-stains. The results of analytical testing included in this book elucidate the synergistic interactions between the environment, biological clocks of the microorganisms, and secretion of fungal pigments to paper. The black fungal pigment formation is explored in-depth in two scenarios: one that is ‘natural’, when the bio-stains of original artworks have occurred over time by chance, and another, induced by Aspergillus niger, in bio-simulation on known papers in a controlled environment. The findings are intended to provide guidance for preservation strategies, mitigating the biodeterioration of paper, and designing conservation treatment when applicable. The surface of artworks and artifacts is of great aesthetic and artistic importance; conversely, it plays a significant role in governing fungal attachments. In this book, the paper surface is characterized in detail and in correlation with chemical and physical alterations caused by fungal pigmentation. A broad range of analytical instruments was used for surface characterization, such as surface metrology profilometers, a confocal laser scanning microscope, and environmental scanning electron microscope; chemical microanalysis was carried out using X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The novel, three-dimensional characterization of pigmented fungal inclusions and their interaction with paper matrix was studied with micro-X-ray-computed micro-tomography on the synchrotron ESRF. The proposed book is the first to explore the complexity of fungal–paper interactions with the intention to assist professionals working with cultural materials, especially paper-based materials, to make informed decisions when dealing with the fungi infestation of paper.