A Synchrotron-Based Study of the Mary Rose Iron Cannonballs

Medical imaging applied to heritage

The use of imaging has transformed the study of cultural heritage artefacts in the same way that medical imaging has transformed medicine. X-ray-based techniques are common in both medical and heritage imaging. Optical imaging, including scientific photography and spectral imaging techniques, is also common in both domains. Some common medical imaging methods such as ultrasound and MRI have not yet found routine application in heritage, whereas other methods such as imaging with charged and uncharged particles and 3D surface imaging are more common in heritage. Here, we review the field of heritage imaging from the point of view of medical imaging and include some classic challenges of heritage imaging such as reading the text on burnt scrolls, identifying underdrawings in paintings, and CT scanning of mummies, an ancient calculating device and sealed documents. We show how hyperspectral imaging can offer insight into the drawing techniques of Leonardo da Vinci and explain how laparoscopy has identified the method of construction of a 500-year-old pop-up anatomical text book.

Fe K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy of corrosion phases of archaeological iron: results, limitations, and the need for complementary techniques

Data analysis methods for iron x-ray absorption spectroscopy can provide extensive information about the oxidation state and co-ordination of an Fe-species. However, the extent to which techniques developed using a single-phase iron sample may be applied to complex, mixed-phase samples formed under real-world conditions is not clear. This work uses a combination of pre-edge fitting and linear combination analysis to characterise the near edge region of the x-ray absorption spectrum (XANES) for a set of archaeological iron corrosion samples from a collection of cast iron cannon shot excavated from theMary Roseshipwreck and compares the data with phase compositions determined by synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction (SXPD). Archaeological powder and cross-section samples were compared to a library of iron standards and diffraction data. The XANES are consistent with previous observations that generation of the chlorinated phase akaganeite, β-FeO(OH,Cl), occurs in those samples which have been removed form passive storage and subjected to active conservation. However, the results show that if any metallic species is present in the sample, the contribution from Fe(0) to the spectral region containing a pre-edge for oxidised iron-Fe(II) and Fe(III)-causes the analysis to be less effective and the conclusions unreliable. Consequently, while the pre-edge fitting methodology may be applied to a mixture of iron oxides or oxyhydroxides, the procedure is inappropriate for a mixed metal-oxide sample without the application of a complimentary technique, such as SXPD.

High-pressure synthesis of ε-FeOOH from β-FeOOH and its application to the water oxidation catalyst

Research on materials under extreme conditions such as high pressures provides new insights into the evolution and dynamics of the earth and space sciences, but recently, this research has focused on applications as functional materials. In this contribution, we examined high-pressure/high-temperature phases of β-FeO_1−x(OH)_1+xCl_x with x = 0.12 (β-FeOOH) and their catalytic activities of water oxidation, i.e., oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Under pressures above 6 GPa and temperatures of 100–700 °C, β-FeOOH transformed into ε-FeOOH, as in the case of α-FeOOH. However, the established pressure–temperature phase diagram of β-FeOOH differs from that of α-FeOOH, probably owing to its open framework structure and partial occupation of Cl⁻ ions. The OER activities of ε-FeOOH strongly depended on the FeOOH sources, synthesis conditions, and composite electrodes. Nevertheless, one of the ε-FeOOH samples exhibited a low OER overpotential compared with α-FeOOH and its parent β-FeOOH, which are widely used as OER catalysts. Hence, ε-FeOOH is a potential candidate as a next-generation earth-abundant OER catalyst.

Research on materials under extreme conditions such as high pressures provides new insights into the evolution and dynamics of the earth and space sciences, but recently, this research has focused on applications as functional materials.

A Synchrotron-Based Study of the Mary Rose Iron Cannonballs

Post-excavation iron corrosion may be accelerated by the presence of Cl^- , leading to conservation methods designed to remove Cl. This study exploits a unique opportunity to assess 35 years of conservation applied to cast-iron cannon shot excavated from the Mary Rose. A combination of synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (SXPD), absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and fluorescence (XRF) mapping have been used to characterise the impact of conservation on the crystalline corrosion products, chlorine distribution, and speciation. The chlorinated phase akaganeite, β-FeO(OH,Cl), was found on shot washed in corrosion inhibitor Hostacor IT with or without an additional reduction stage. No chlorinated phases were observed on the surface of shot stored in sodium sesquicarbonate (Na₂ CO₃ /NaHCO₃ ); however, hibbingite, β-Fe₂ (OH)₃ Cl, was present in metal pores. It is proposed that surface β-FeO(OH,Cl) formed in the early stages of active conservation owing to oxidation of β-Fe₂ (OH)₃ Cl at near-neutral pH.