Elsevier

Journal of Cultural Heritage

Volume 50, July–August 2021, Pages 95-105
Journal of Cultural Heritage

Original article
Testing 1D and 2D single-sided NMR on Roman age waterlogged woods

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2021.06.001Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Water distribution and decay of wood.

  • 1D and 2D relaxation times are affected by paramagnetic impurities and fungi.

  • High field MRI and optical microscopy corroborate single-sided NMR results.

Abstract

Waterlogged archaeological wood can provide information on past human activities and technology but its structure may be modified due to microbial deterioration. Knowing its conservation state is fundamental for its restoration. Aim of this work was to test the use of non-destructive portable NMR for the microstructural characterization and preservation state of three archaeological wood samples (Roman age, 5th century AD). 1D T1 and T2 relaxation time distributions, as well as 2D T1-T2 and D-T2 distributions were measured by single-sided NMR and interpreted with the help of high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical microscopy. Due to the complexity of the ancient wood samples, in this first study a multi-analytical approach was required. It allowed the characterization of both waterlogged softwood (spruce) and hardwood (chestnut and maple) by quantifying relaxation times and diffusion water components affected by the presence of degradation products such as fungi, paramagnetic agents, and microstructural changes. Optical microscopy was needed to investigate the sub-microscopic wood elements not resolved by MRI and validate indirect single-sided NMR investigations. Observations and results of this study will allow the improvement of single-sided NMR protocols for the analyses of archaeological wood in situ with portable NMR.

Keywords

Portable NMR
Chestnut
Maple
Spruce
MRI
Waterlogged archaeological woods

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