Gellan gum hydrogels as such and ionic-liquid doped as modulable micro-invasive tools for cultural heritage studies

Rocco Cancelliere, Leonardo Severini, Eleonora Kratter Thaler, Claudia Mazzuca, Vittoria Guglielmi, Patrizia Mussini, Laura Micheli

Abstract

Rigid Gellan gel, composed of Gellan gum and calcium acetate, is known to be biocompatible and capable of absorbing water-soluble compounds present on fragile artwork. Moreover, when implemented on screen printed electrodes, it can result in a device providing both absorption and in situ, very fast electroanalytical detection of electroactive species of interest for cultural heritage researchers. In this application its properties and performances could be also modulated by doping with ionic liquids (ILs), an attractive family of all-ionic media, consisting of molecular salts with low melting points. In this preliminary investigation, a series of absorbing conductive materials based on Gellan hydrogel, as such and doped with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate in various amounts, are paired with screen printed sensors and tested as tools for the voltammetric (cyclic voltammetry CV and/or differential pulse voltammetry DPV) detection of a red-orange dye, Lawsone, which is found in the leaves of the henna plant (Lawsonia Inermis) and has been used since the time of Ancient Egypt to dye wool and silk.

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IMEKO-MetroArchaeo-2023-079.pdf

DOI

10.21014/tc4-ARC-2023.079

IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

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