A new miniaturised short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrometer for on-site cultural heritage investigations

The paper reports on the development of an analytical method based on the use of a new miniaturised short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrometer for the analysis of cultural heritage samples. The spectrometer is a prototype characterised by small dimension (45.0 mm in diameter x 47.5 mm in height x 60 g weight), easily handled and transferable out of research laboratories. The prototype enables the acquisition of spectra in the SWIR range of 1200–2200 nm, which is a unique feature for miniaturised spectrometers. The exploitation of this spectral range allows the detection of a high number of combination and overtone bands, which guarantees significant diagnostic power to the instrument. The present study lays a significant foundation to the development of analytical strategies based on miniaturised NIR spectrometers working in the SWIR spectral range for the characterization of complex samples such as cultural heritage specimens. Analytical performances of the new spectrometer were assessed on archaeological bones, cinematographic films and bronze patinas. The selected cases of study present challenging conservation issues not properly addressed, and their analyses usually require to be performed on-site, in places not easily accessible by restorers, archaeologists and/or scientists. The data acquired with the prototype, combined with a multivariate data analysis approach, show the possibility to i) differentiate between the materials used as a support for cinematographic film namely cellulose nitrate (CN), cellulose acetates (CA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET); ii) sort out archaeological bone fragments according to their collagen content as an initial screening test for bones characterization; iii) differentiate between corrosion products on outdoor bronze sculpture, which is important for assessing the state of conservation of the artwork. The prototype enabled rapid information acquisition to guide restoration strategies, which need to be supported in real time by quick and easy analytical procedures.