New Technologies and Pathways to Sustainable Conservation of Cultural Heritage
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2024) | Viewed by 14243
Special Issue Editors
Interests: archaeometry; cultural heritage conservation; geomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: provenance of red pigments; archaeological pottery; photonic imaging; mural paintings; ceramic; stones; glass artworks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cultural heritage, whatever the composition and location (indoor or outdoor) is, can undergo deterioration by various factors, such as thermo-hygrometric conditions, mechanical stress, electromagnetic radiation, and biodeterioration. These interactions determine changes in the composition which are mainly due to the aging of the materials artworks are made of. It is known that climate change plays an important role in the degradation of Cultural Heritage, but also mass tourism and incorrect conservation methods act on the conservation of artworks.
In recent decades, there has been an ever-growing interest in protecting both the environment and the operator who works on cultural heritage. Despite the recent research developments of cleaning methods for artistic surfaces, common restoration practices still involve the use of substances with high impact on both the environment and human health, such as organic solvents and solutions capable of developing volatile species (e.g., ammonia from ammonium carbonate). Furthermore, the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage assets is often linked to non-standardized restoration protocols, case-by-case adjusted, involving the use of solvents and other mixtures of chemicals, as well as biocidal products, which can pose both the operator and the environment at risk. Therefore, one of the main challenges in the field of research is the development of innovative products for the conservation of cultural heritage.
On the other hand, the definition of innovative non-destructive sampling techniques could be resolved as well, to monitor the state of conservation without damage. A continuous monitoring of the conditions, allowed by the non-destructiveness of the methods, provides the significant reduction of traumatic intervention or restoration activities. Moreover, in accordance with the pushing requirements in the general field of the Analytical Chemistry, new analytical protocols involving safe, non-toxic and sustainable methods and techniques for the diagnostics in cultural heritage represent a frontier of research for conservation: from this point of view, the use of green solvents, hydrogels and eco-friendly substrates and materials disclose new perspectives for sustainable investigations of historical and cultural artifacts.
This Special Issue aims to collect scientific contributions on new materials for the protection or conservation of cultural heritage, new conservative approaches and innovative monitoring techniques.
Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to the following:
- Smart materials for the protection of cultural heritage;
- Biomaterials for the protection of cultural heritage;
- Green materials for conservation and restoration activities;
- Innovative sampling methods in conservation science;
- Innovative monitoring methods;
- Sustainable and eco-friendly analytical methods for diagnostics;
- Protocols for the assessment of climate change impact on CH.
Dr. Laura Medeghini
Dr. Michela Botticelli
Dr. Alessandro Ciccola
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- cultural heritage
- smart materials
- sampling techniques
- green chemistry
- sustainable conservation