A comprehensive strategy for exploring corrosion in iron-based artefacts through advanced Multiscale X-ray Microscopy

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Archaeometry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Corrosion analysis in iron artefacts requires advanced techniques to understand complex degradation processes.
• Traditional methods identify corrosion products but lack 3D spatial information.
• Understanding corrosion evolution is crucial for conservation and material science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an integrated workflow for analyzing iron artefact corrosion.
• To combine destructive and non-destructive techniques for maximum information extraction.
• To investigate the 3D corrosion mechanisms and internal structure of an iron nail.

Main Methods:

• Multiscale X-ray Microscopy (XRM) for multi-length scale visualization.
• Integration of traditional analytical techniques (e.g., chemical and mineralogical analysis).
• Application of a workflow to an iron nail from Motya, Italy.

Main Results:

• Detailed 3D visualization of the iron nail's internal structure.
• Identification of structural discontinuities influencing corrosion.
• Highlighting compositional differences between the nail's tip and head.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of corrosion phases.

Conclusions:

• An integrated analytical approach enhances the understanding of iron corrosion mechanisms.
• Multiscale XRM is effective for visualizing 3D corrosion evolution and internal structures.
• The study provides insights into factors driving corrosion in iron artefacts.