Characterization of dyed textiles using TOF‐SIMS and FT‐IR

Abstract

Within the field of archeology, textile research is of growing interest because of its potential to provide relevant information regarding either the development or the technological advancement of ancient populations or the socio‐economic and religious purposes of textile production. It is of paramount importance in cultural heritage research to use non‐destructive techniques. Therefore, dye analyses were performed using two non‐destructive methods: time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR). In order to build a database, standard samples of dyed silk were prepared using several natural dye compounds; these samples were then analyzed with FT‐IR and TOF‐SIMS. Afterwards, spectroscopic analyses were carried out on five textile fragments coming from the 16th to the 18th century Korean tombs. FT‐IR and TOF‐SIMS spectra allowed the identification of fiber of the archeological textiles, making it possible to distinguish between the cotton and silk fibers. Furthermore, it was possible to identify indigo in three blue fabrics and to show its presence in a green textile. The results suggest that FT‐IR and TOF‐SIMS are two efficient and very helpful techniques for the characterization of excavated fabrics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.