NMR Techniques for non-destructive investigations of historical stone artefacts

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a rapid and noninvasive diagnostic technique, has been successfully applied to study both the capillary properties of some rocks (travertine, Lecce stone, and Matera stone), and the performances of some polymeric treatments (acrylic polymers and silica gel) used for the conservation of historical stone artifacts. MRI applied to stone materials is based on the detection of the 1H nuclei of liquid water inside the pore spaces of the rock, which allows the visualization of the liquid water diffused in treated or untreated stone samples. For the treated samples the localization of water absorbed gives indirectly the spatial distribution and efficacy of the polymer into the rock.