Events
12:00
Seminar titled: "Science meets Art: graphene enabling solutions for the conservation of cultural heritage"
The Seminar will take place at the Auditorium of the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT) Conference Centre (Stadiou str.-Platani Patras), on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 (12.00).
Speaker: Costas Galiotis, Foundation of Research and Technology–Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, Patras, Greece, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
For those who wish to attend the seminar remotely,please check the monitoring link: https://iceht-forth.webex.com/meet/Seminar
The Seminar will be in English.
Summary: Tangible cultural heritage is highly vulnerable to degradation. For example, the exposure of paintings to ultraviolet (UV) and visible light, combined with oxidizing agents and other harmful substances, often leads to colour changes such as yellowing or fading. This deterioration is further exacerbated by unfavourable and unstable environmental conditions, harmful lighting, and the presence of pollutants within museum and gallery environments. As a result, scientists are calling for innovative solutions to minimize the risk of damage to cultural heritage artifacts, which represent invaluable legacies of humanity.
Over the past few years, our group has been at the forefront of designing and developing graphene-based solutions for the remedial and preventive conservation of tangible cultural heritage. Notably, we have successfully deposited continuous CVD graphene veils onto real paintings without altering their visual appearance, achieving up to a 70% reduction in colour fading [1]. Additionally, by utilizing graphene and related materials in powder form (e.g., GNP, GO), we have developed paints for applications in art and architecture. These paints not only possess intrinsic anti-fading properties but also offer multifunctional benefits [2].
Furthermore, we have created intelligent solutions to monitor and regulate environmental conditions for storing and displaying artworks. These include graphene-based sensors for the early detection of humidity and temperature fluctuations, as well as aggressive species such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [3,4]. We have also developed graphene aerogels with exceptional VOC absorption capabilities and antifungal activity, providing effective protection against common threats like fungi and other pollutants [5,6].
Refs
[1] Kotsidi et al. Nature Nanotechnology 16, 1004 (2021)
[2] Kotsidi et al., Nanoscale 15, 5414 (2023)
[3] Paterakis et al., Nanomaterials 12, 2684 (2022)
[4] Matsalis et al., Sensors International 5, 100272 (2024)
[5] Gorgolis et al., ChemNanoMat 8, e202200265 (2022)
[6] Gorgolis et al., Materials 17, 3174 (2024)
