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Diamond-like carbon coatings for the protection of metallic artefacts: effect on the aesthetic appearance

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Abstract

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) is an environmentally friendly process used to deposit a variety of nano-structured coatings for the protection or the surface modification of metallic artefacts like the SiO2-like films that have been successfully tested on ancient silver, bronze and iron artefacts as barriers against aggressive agents. This paper deals with the preliminary results of a wider investigation aimed to the development of eco-sustainable coatings for the protection of Cu and Ag-based artefacts of archaeological and historic interest. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings have been deposited by PECVD in different experimental conditions, in a capacitively coupled asymmetric plasma reactor, placing the substrates either on electrically powered electrode (cathodic mode) or grounded electrode (anodic mode) with and without hydrogen addition in the gas mixture. The final goal is to develop a coating with good protective effectiveness against aggressive atmospheres and contemporarily with negligible effects on the aesthetic appearance of the artefacts. The evaluation of possible colour changes of the surface patinas, due to coating process, was performed by optical microscopy and colorimetric measurements. Furthermore, to evaluate the reversibility of the thin DLC layer, an etching treatment in oxygen plasma has been successfully carried out and optimized. The chemical-physical characterization of the deposited DLC coatings was performed by means of the combined use of micro-Raman and XPS spectroscopies. The results show that the DLC films obtained in the anodic mode, may be proposed as a viable alternative to polymeric coatings for the protection of metallic ancient objects.

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Acknowledgments

The activities have been performed in the frame of the PhD Project of Dr. Faraldi Federica that involves the cooperation between the Polytechnic of Turin and the Institute for the Study of nanostructured materials-CNR, Rome.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento Scienza dei Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Federica Faraldi & Emma Angelini

  2. Area Ricerca RM1-Montelibretti, Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati-CNR, via Salaria km 29.5, Monterotondo Stazione, 00015, Rome, Italy

    Daniela Caschera, Alessio Mezzi, Cristina Riccucci & Tilde De Caro

Authors
  1. Federica Faraldi
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  2. Emma Angelini
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  3. Daniela Caschera
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  4. Alessio Mezzi
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  5. Cristina Riccucci
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  6. Tilde De Caro
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Correspondence to Federica Faraldi.

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Faraldi, F., Angelini, E., Caschera, D. et al. Diamond-like carbon coatings for the protection of metallic artefacts: effect on the aesthetic appearance. Appl. Phys. A 114, 663–671 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8171-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8171-8

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