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Asbestos-Based Pottery from Corsica: The First Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic Matrix Composite.
Philippe Colomban1, Aleksandar Kremenović2
1MONARIS (From the Molecule to the Nano-object: Reactivity, Interaction & Spectroscopies), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 23, 2020
Summary
Ancient pottery from Corsica contained asbestos fibers (crocidolite and chrysotile), indicating early use as a fiber-reinforced ceramic composite. These 19th-century or older crucibles were likely used for gold extraction.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Archaeology
- Geology
Background:
- Analysis of ancient pottery shards from Corsica (Cap Corse) dating to the 19th century or earlier.
- Investigation into the composition and properties of these historical ceramic artifacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize asbestos-containing pottery shards.
- To determine the manufacturing techniques and historical applications of these ceramics.
- To identify the oldest known fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composite.
Main Methods:
- Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS)
- X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD)
- Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
- Raman Microspectroscopy
Main Results:
- Identification of blue (crocidolite) and white (chrysotile) asbestos fiber bundles within the pottery.
- Evidence of dehydroxylation and transformation to forsterite, suggesting firing temperatures above 800 °C.
- Observed nonbrittle fracture with fiber pull-out, characteristic of composite materials.
Conclusions:
- The analyzed pottery represents the oldest known fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composite.
- The ceramics were likely used as crucibles for gold extraction, evidenced by cyanide residue.
- The findings shed light on ancient material science and industrial practices.
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