0000000000022594
AUTHOR
Sebastiano Trusso
Synthesis and physico-chemical characterization of Au/TiO2 nanostructures formed by novel "cold" and "hot" nanosoldering of Au and TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed in water
Abstract A novel approach to synthesize Au/TiO2 nanostructures with interesting optical properties is presented and discussed. It is based on the nanoparticle “cold” or “hot” nanosoldering occurring when two water suspensions of Au and TiO2 nanoparticles are merely mixed at room temperature or laser irradiated after mixing. Thanks to the high fraction and mutual reactivity of surface species, immediately after the mixing process, the encounters between Au and TiO2 nanoparticles in liquid phase are enough for “cold” nanosoldering of gold nanoparticles onto TiO2 nanoparticles to occur. The optical characterizations show that this fast process (timescale less than 1 min) is followed by a slowe…
Improved chemometric approach for XRF data treatment: application to the reverse glass paintings from the Lipari collection
The Aeolian cultural heritage preserves hundreds of testimonies of the past that have passed through six millennia of history. Among these, the Archeological Park of the Aeolian Islands with the Museum Luigi Bernab`o Brea (Italy) preserves a valuable set of artworks, which are related to a little-known ‘popular’ figurative heritage. It is an assemblage of small glass foils decorated using the technique of reverse painting, datable to between the end of the 17th century and the end of the 18th century, and actually under investigation by historians. Here, an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy study (performed with portable equipment) is combined with a multivariate approach that allows us…
Synthesis of Yb nanoparticles by laser ablation of ytterbium target in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate reverse micellar solution
Abstract Surfactant-coated ytterbium nanoparticles were produced by Nd:YAG laser ablation of a Yb bulk target immersed in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/ n -heptane micellar solution. In our experimental conditions, as highlighted by IR spectroscopy, AOT molecules are not decomposed by the intense laser pulses but play a pivotal role in the stabilisation of Yb nanoparticles. The formation of Yb nanoparticles in the liquid phase was monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy whereas the Yb/AOT composites obtained by evaporation of the organic solvent were characterised by XPS and TEM. Data analysis consistently shows the presence of surfactant-coated, nearly spherical and non-interacting…
A multivariate statistical approach of X-ray fluorescence characterization of a large collection of reverse glass paintings
We present an X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) study combined with a multivariate approach that allow to detect compositional differences and similarities among the glass supports of a large set of reverse glass paintings belonging to the collection of the Mistretta museum. Reverse painting on glass is an old decorative technique used since the Roman time consisting in applying a cold paint layer on the reverse side of a glass support. The collection shows a large spreading of provenience and dating of the items. In consideration of the current classification solely based on stylistic criteria, we applied a multivariate analysis on the XRF measurements data set to find a more objective…
Structural and optical properties of novel surfactant-coated Yb-TiO2 nanoparticle
Abstract In this paper a novel hybrid approach to synthesise composite nanoparticles is presented. It is based on the laser ablation of a bulk target (Yb) immersed in a reversed micellar solution which contains nanoparticles of a different host material (TiO2 nanoparticles) previously synthesised by chemical method. This approach thus exploits the advantages of the chemical synthesis through reversed micellar solution (size control, nanoparticle stabilisation), and of the laser ablation (‘‘clean’’ synthesis, no side reactions). Central role is played by the microscopic processes controlling the deposition of the ablated Yb atoms onto the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles which actually behave a…
The silver collection of San Gennaro treasure (Neaples): A multivariate statistic approach applied to X-ray fluorescence data
Abstract In this work we report an X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) study combined with a multivariate approach allowing to detect compositional differences and similarities among the alloys used in realization of silver collection of San Gennaro items collection. The San Gennaro treasure in Naples (Italy) represents, in fact, one of the most important silver collections in the world. The classification of the collection items is very complex, not only for the large number of objects, but also in consideration that between 1600 and 1700, in Naples, more than 350 laboratories were active, most of them specialized in specific art of work. As a consequence, a given collection object could…