Raman spectroscopic library of medieval pigments collected with five different wavelengths for investigation of illuminated manuscripts.

Giorgia Marucci, Andrew Beeby, Anthony Parker, Kate Nicholson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

73 Citations (Scopus)
94 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Raman spectroscopy is widely applied in the cultural heritage field to perform non-destructive measurements in situ, in order to identify materials, specifically pigments. The spectra collected can be challenging to interpret because certain source laser wavelengths may be absorbed by specific pigments, leading to large fluorescence backgrounds which obscure the weak Raman signals, or worse cause photodegradation of the sample. Furthermore, the reference spectra for a specific pigment obtained from a particular laser wavelength is not always availible and is a crucial step in the detective work of pigment identification, especially when the resonance Raman effect can enhance some signals. As the range of lasers available increases, spectral libraries do not always record spectra acquired with the same wavelength used to carry out the measurements in field. In this work, reference spectra of 31 different componds, mostly used in mediaeval manuscripts as pigments and inks, are recorded. Five different wavelengths were used as excitation sources. The aim is to provide a useful and more complete reference source to enable better planning of which laser wavelength is the most appropriate to study a specific set of pigments, and to allow comparisons between spectra acquired with the same wavelength, leading to the unequivocal pigment identification in a step by step manner.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1219-1236
Number of pages28
JournalAnalytical Methods
Volume10
Issue number10
Early online date20 Feb 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Mar 2018

Keywords

  • Raman
  • pigments
  • medieval manuscripts

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