In this work lasers with pulse durations from μs to fs were used to clean zinc heritage objects from atmospheric corrosion deposits. Wavelengths at 355, 532, 800, 1064 nm were tested. The surface was studied by Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. It was shown that for all lasers used there is no self-limiting cleaning effect, and the metal melting threshold is lower than the corrosion complete removal threshold. A femtosecond laser produces the least surface melting with 100 fs pulse duration, the shortest in this study. Yellowing of corrosion layers due to temperature modification of zincite was observed with irradiation by all lasers used.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13-22
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Cultural Heritage
Volume61
Early online date28 Feb 2023
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2023

    Research areas

  • Atmospheric corrosion, Laser cleaning, Zinc

ID: 103204200