GLAss and Metal mutual (biO)-coRrosiOn : conservation of mUseum collections in Storage.

In the field of Heritage conservation, the long-term preservation of archaeological and historical objects held in deposits is a subject of increasing concern.

Artifacts made from two or more different materials in contact with each other, often stored under uncontrolled environmental conditions of temperature, humidity and clearness, can undergo degradation faster than thought.

The contact areas and interstices between two materials are especially critical points for joint degradation phenomena and prolific ground for microbiological contaminants, especially in conditions of high humidity and in presence of organic pollutants.

With this in mind, I am herein proposing an innovative project to investigate the degradation processes and microbiologically-induced corrosion of glass-metal objects that can occur in museum storage environments.

I will capitalize on my own experience in Heritage science and glass alteration mechanisms, and on the competences and skills of the host institutions in electrochemistry and microbiologically induced corrosion to i) identify the major glass-metal joint corrosion phenomena and the microbiological contaminants present in museum storage deposits, ii) investigate the mechanisms underlying glass-metal corrosion and biocorrosion mechanisms by performing laboratory corrosion tests, and iii) experiment the application of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to monitor the previously described corrosion mechanisms.

The proposed project will advance the understanding of joint (bio)-corrosion processes occurring at the interface between glass and metallic materials and will hopefully establish a new methodology to monitor such mechanisms.

I will be extensively trained in corrosion processes and electrochemical techniques, microbial processes and related laboratory procedures, which will enable me to become an independent researcher and ultimately establish my own research group in the field of biodegradation and biocorrosion.