INFRA-ART Open Access Spectral Library
Within the framework of the postdoctoral research project INFRA-ART, an open access spectral library with more than 500 reference samples of materials related to cultural heritage and conservation science has been developed. The spectral collection is freely available online, and was designed as a useful digital resource tool for researchers and other specialists in the field of heritage science, art history, conservation, and materials science. The reference materials have been characterized using complementary spectroscopic techniques – Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). These easily accessible spectroscopic techniques are probably the most commonly used analytical tools in conservation science as they offer a series of advantages such as: relatively low-cost, non- or minimal-invasiveness, and immediate response in terms of results.
The database is an ongoing compilation of spectra that contains at this moment primarily ATR-FTIR and XRF data, and a preliminary dataset of Raman spectra, of the following groups of materials: paint components (natural and synthetic pigments and dyes; glues, gums and binders; resins, balsams and wax); artist color paints (oil paints, watercolor, tempera, etc.), conservations materials (glues, polymeric materials, solvents, etc.) and unclassified materials (mixed pigments, etc). Each sample is associated with a series of identifiers (sample ID, sample type, sample source, origin, description), descriptive data (alternative names, chemical information, history of use), as well as metadata (experimental conditions on data acquisition). The database is keyword searchable and an interactive spectra viewer that allows users to visualize and analyze the spectra of each sample is available. In terms of future development directions, we plan to expand the number of available reference samples, integrate a higher number of Raman data, and develop an analytical tool that will allow peak search for each data type.
The database can be accessed at the following link: https://infraart.inoe.ro/
