Study of archaeological artefacts to refine the model of iron long-term indoor atmospheric corrosion

Abstract

The study of long-term indoor atmospheric corrosion is involved in the field of the interim storage of nuclear wastes. Indeed study of archaeological artefacts is one of the only mean to gather information on very long periods. Concerning ancient items, due to the complexity of the system, it is necessary to couple many analytical techniques from the macro to the microscopic scale. This enables to propose a description of the Amiens cathedral chain rust layers, made of a matrix of goethite, with lepidocrocite and akaganeite locally present and marbling of a poor crystallized phase associated to ferrihydrite. Electrochemical measurements permit to study the reduction capacity of the rust layer and to draw reduction mechanisms of the so-called active phases, by in situ experiments coupled with X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.