Setting up of a non-invasive methodology for painting surfaces characterization

The following thesis work is focussed on the application of non-invasive spectroscopic methodologies (External Reflection Infrared, Raman and Fiber Optics Reflectance) on painting surfaces, in order to perform a characterization of the present materials. The analyses are applied on a collection of more than 100 paint samples, first created in 1992, consisting in traditional pigments dispersed in different media. The collection has already been analysed by invasive techniques, and the collected data will be compared with the new acquisitions. The aim of the study is to achieve sufficient information regarding the preliminary selection of the best analytical technique, according to the sample nature. For this reason, the application of statistical tools (such as Principal Component Analysis) would also be performed, leading to the integration of all the data and the creation of a research “model”.