A Study on Corrosion Processes of Archaeological Glass from the Valencian Region (Spain) and its Con
Abstract.
The combined use of scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX) and square wave voltammetry (SQWV), is used for studying the corrosion processes that have taken place in buried glass from different archaeological sites in the Valencian Region (Spain). The procedures permit a parallel investigation of morphology and chemical composition. Determination of the chemical composition of the glasses and their alteration crust and identification of the elements responsible for the colour has been also carried out using energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The electrochemical response of samples attached to paraffin-impregnated graphite electrodes reveals the presence of different iron and manganese oxide species in the browning areas of the corroded glass. Image analysis applied to microphotographs obtained by means of SEM led to the determination of morphological parameters concerning the corrosion phenomena occurring on the surface of the fragments such as thickness of the corrosion layer and its laminated structure. Additionally, measurement of the thickness of the film of polymer used as coating in the consolidation treatments has been carried out using cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) combined with image analysis.