A multianalytical methodology based on Raman spectroscopy was proposed to carry out the analysis of two wall paintings located in Saint Andrew Church (Biañez, Biscay) and Saint John the Baptist Church (Axpe, Biscay). On the one hand, Raman, assisted with energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and diffuse reflectance infrared portable spectrometers, was used in the in situ analysis of original support materials and pigments as well as in the identification of the degradation products. Such portable spectroscopic techniques allow identifying the areas to be sampled in order to perform deeper analyses by means of Raman chemical imaging and scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer. Cross-sections were performed with the micro-samples taken in the areas of interest. Thereby, the colour palette, the mortar, the restoration processes and the degradation products were determined. The Raman analyses revealed that the transformation of gypsum into anhydrite in the intonaco layer was responsible for the detachment observed in the wall paintings from Axpe. Several hypotheses such as the harmful effect of previous restorations have been considered as precursor of the damage. Besides, decaying products, such as nitrates and oxalates, derived from physicochemical processes in the raw materials were also detected.

Suspect and non-target screening (SNTS) techniques are arising as new analytical strategies useful to disentangle the environmental occurrence of the thousands of exogenous chemicals present in our ecosystems. The unbiased...

This work reports important advances in the study of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) related to their application in different research fields such as magnetic hyperthermia. Nanotherapy based on targeted nanoparticles could become an attractive alternative to conventional oncologic treatments as it allows a local heating in tumoral surroundings without damage to healthy tissue. RGD-peptide-conjugated MNPs have been designed to specifically target αVβ3 receptor-expressing cancer cells, being bound the RGD peptides by “click chemistry” due to its selectivity and applicability. The thermal decomposition of iron metallo-organic precursors yield homogeneous Fe3O4 nanoparticles that have been properly functionalized with RGD peptides, and the preparation of magnetic fluids has been achieved. The nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), electron magnetic resonance (EMR) spectroscopy and magnetic hyperthermia. The nanoparticles present superparamagnetic behavior with very high magnetization values, which yield hyperthermia values above 500 W/g for magnetic fluids. These fluids have been administrated to rats, but instead of injecting MNP fluid directly into liver tumors, intravascular administration of MNPs in animals with induced colorectal tumors has been performed. Afterwards the animals were exposed to an alternating magnetic field in order to achieve hyperthermia. The evolution of an in vivo model has been described, resulting in a significant reduction in tumor viability.

The present work exemplifies, over a mural painting from the 14th century, the advantages of an initial exhaustive research using latest generation hand-held spectrometers (Raman mainly) in order to perform the characterization of valuable objects of cultural heritage. These in-situ techniques (meaning on-site and non-destructive) are very useful to study the pigments and materials, to identify the nature and causes of some of the main sources of deterioration and to examine past repaints. In addition, the in-situ measurements are of great importance in the selection of micro-samples for the laboratory analyses. In this particular case, the combination of these results with the chemical imaging analyses in the laboratory (such as Raman and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry imaging) allowed the characterization of the mural painting, including, the identification of all restoration works applied in the past.