Electrochemistry and vibrational spectroscopy in investigation of protective coatings for bronze artworks

Abstract

Herein are discussed the possibilities of how to exploit vibrational spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques in the studies of protective coatings for bronze artworks. Protective coatings for bronze 85,555 are prepared on the basis of polyurethanes or fluoropolymers. Reflectionabsorption infrared spectroscopy under near grazing conditions is described as a powerful tool for studying the bronze surfaces when exposed to various conditions (solutions, strippers, temperature). Electrochemical techniques, especially the potentiodynamic polarization technique, are very powerful in the evaluation of protective coatings. The combination of electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques enables the tracking of changes in the protective coating that occur with an increase in the anodic potential. This is an accelerated test and similar changes are expected to occur in the protective coatings with time, i.e., exposure to atmospheric conditions (rain, humidity …). Various solutions were also tested as strippers to evaluate the removability of the coatings.