AP°YPO¶OY§OY TELOS 30-01-08 11:01 ™ÂÏ›‰·53

Early Warning Dosimeters

for Monitoring Indoor Museum Climate:
Environmental Impact Sensors and LightCheckì
Peter Mottner
Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC), Bronnbach Branch
Competence Team: Environmental Monitoring and Conservation Research
D-97877 Wertheim/Bronnbach
Germany
Phone: +49-9342-9221-711 (-701)
e-mail: mottner@isc.fraunhofer.de

Early warning dosimeters for monitoring outdoor and indoor room and microclimate have been developed by
Fraunhofer ISC for the assessment of potential damage risk of artworks, e. g., on display, in showcases or
magazines. The environmental impact sensor is conceived for monitoring the overall effect of atmospherical
parameters like humidity, temperature effects, pollutant gases, aggressive volatile organic compounds
(VOC), and synergetic effects and therefore to avoid subsequent deterioration of original substrates. The
LightCheckì dosimeter acts as an early warning system for possible deterioration caused by lighting. It is es-
pecially designed for the application in museums and collections. Both systems are low-cost techniques and
easy to handle.

Keywords: Sensor, dosimeter, indoor and microclimate, atmospherical pollution, lighting damage

1. INTRODUCTION method, developed within an EC funded research project

Metal artworks and objects of cultural value are suf-
fering world-wide severe stresses by environmental im-
pacts, indoors and outdoors. Direct precipitation (e. g.,
acid rain, hail, soot), rapid temperature changes or espe-
cially humidity as well as gaseous pollutants (e. g., SO2,
NOx etc.), the attack of micro-organisms and exposure to
light / UV radiation are endangering these precious ob-
jects due to physical and chemical attack. Especially in-
doors, e. g., humidity in combination with chemicals like
formic acid or paraldehyde present in wood panels or
furniture leads to degradation risks on artworks in maga-
zines, showcases, or on display. The impact of the indoor
microclimate may cause corrosion and deterioration of
the material and/or surface layers, which can require
costly restoration campaigns or will lead to the complete
loss of the original object.
A better understanding of the objects’ stress situation
can be achieved by microclimatic measurements (tempera-
ture, air humidity, condensation, frequency etc.). However,
microclimatic measurements do not provide complete in-
formation, as they neglect the important influences of pol-
lutants like ozone and synergetic effects of different atmos-
pherical parameters. Furthermore, they are difficult to
perform, and in any case very expensive.
The assessment of such complicated situations by easy-
to-handle and low-cost techniques can be achieved by us-
ing standardized, highly sensitive test glasses, called "Glass
Sensors", as environmental impact sensors [1, 2]. This
53
[3] at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC),
Wuerzburg, Germany, for environ-mental stress monitor-
ing indoors and outdoors [2,4], has been widely used in
many European countries in the last 15 years. Some exam-
ples are in the evaluation of the efficiency of protective
glazings at historic stained glass windows, in monitoring
climate effects in museums, showcases and magazines (see
Figure 1), but also as an early warning system for potential
health risks, caused by industrial exhaust gases of produc-
tion plants [5, 6].
The glass sensor method is applicable independently
from glass being the original substrate or material of in-
terest. Environmental impacts can be validated for all
objects’ material compositions in any non toxic atmos-
pherical / weathering situation. The method is licensed in
Germany as German Technical Guideline VDI 3955/2
[4].
Potential risks caused by lighting can be monitored in-
doors using the LightCheckì dosimeter, developed by ISC
during a recent EC funded research project (Acronym: Li-
Do; 5th FP [7]) for the application in museums and maga-
zines. Hereby, the fading of a sensitive dye, embedded in a
polymer matrix, can be determined after a defined time pe-
riod by comparison with a reference colour scale (Figure
2), leading to a prediction of possible light damage on sub-
strates like coatings on metal, lacquers, composite materi-
als, paper, parchment or textiles [8].
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Peter Mottner

or syngenite are formed on the glass surface, and build up a

crust on top of the gel layer.
It is possible to adapt the sensitivity of glass to such en-
vironmental influences by the appropriate choice of glass
composition and surface treatment. Potential environmen-
tal interactions and harmful chemical attacks on precious
objects or nature, that develop normally over decades, can
be studied on the surfaces of such samples (the "Glass sen-
sor") in days or months (see figure 3). Used as environmen-
tal stress impact sensors, they allow the evaluation of long
term risks in short term experiments, integrating all envi-
ronmental influences as well as synergetic interactions [1-
6]. Exposure times of 1-12 months are recommended for
environmental monitoring, depending on environmental
situation (indoor, outdoor), sensor material composition,
present deterioration state, and background of objects.

Figure 1: Exposure of an environmental impact sensor

in a showcase.

Figure 2: LightCheckì dosimeter: Fading colour intensity

(bleaching) after exposure, representing lighting risk
potential on site. Comparison with a reference scale.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT SENSORS

The principle of the glass sensor method is based on

the corrosion mechanism of glass. The influence of water,
humidity, but also present aggressive (acid) pollutants ini-
tiates an ion exchange reaction, which leads to a gel surface
layer with a low content of alkalines and earth alkalines but
rich in protons and water. If this layer, which is chemically
and structurally changed and thus different from the bulk
glass, reaches a certain thickness, then thermal and hygric
stress will cause microcracks, allowing increased access for
the attacking harmful substances to penetrate deeper into Figure 3: Top: Environmental impact sensor (glass block,
the material. Damaging acid gases accelerate the kinetics partially cut into slices; slice of sensitive glass; glass sensor
of the glass corrosion not only indirectly via changes in the with frame, ready for exposure). Middle: Its surface reac-
pH value. They also cause a secondary damage effect via tion / degradation over time. Bottom: The resulting Delta-
direct reaction with the extracted cations. Corrosion prod- E values after analysis, representing the atmospherical risk
ucts, principally sulphate hydrate minerals such as gypsum potential on site.

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Early Warning Dosimeters for Monitoring Indoor Museum Climate

The measurement of the corrosion process, i. e., the sponsible for the deterioration effects and therefore for the
glass sensor response to the environmental total damage environmental risk potential.
impact at the measuring site during its exposure time, is As an example, measurements at the world-famous
carried out finally by infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in the Green Vault museum in Dresden, Saxonia, Germany, in
transmission mode. The H2O-content of the sensor glass the late 1990s are shown [9]. In this case, precious enamel
and its IR-absorption measured by a suitable OH-band artworks (Figure 4) had suffered by very aggressive micro-
correlates with the thickness and therefore with the degree climates during their permanent exposition in showcases.
of damage of the corrosion layer, so that the extinction dif- Caused by the impact of formaldehyde, acetic acid and oth-
ference compared with the initial spectrum of the recently er pollutant gases like SO2, the VOCs led to exfoliation of
prepared sensor (Delta-E) represents a direct measure- enamel parts from the gold surface and therefore to severe
ment of the damage effect summed up by the dosimeter. material loss and deterioration phenomena (Figure 5).
Please note: a low Delta-E value corresponds to a low cor-
rosion rate and thus to a low environmental stress situa-
tion. In any case, the IR data give reliable results for the
evaluation of environmental risks on site by only one dis-
tinct parameter (Delta-E value). The Delta-E-values range
from 0.01 to about 1.00 (Figure 3). For indoor measure-
ments, generally Delta-E values >0,10 represent critical
(micro-) environmental conditions.
In addition, optical (light) microscopy (OM) of the sen-
sor surfaces is capable to identify the predominant corro-
sion / damage phenomena (cracks, crystals, gel layer forma-
tion). Different resulting damage phenomena correspond
with different responsible environmental interactions (hu-
midity impact, temperature variations, or pollutant gases).

Figure 5: Enamel artworks at the Green Vault Dresden:

Severe material loss of green surface enamel, caused by the
aggressive microclimate inside showcases.

Figure 4: Artworks at the Green Vault Dresden, Saxonia,

Germany (17th ct.): Precious gold figures, covered with
enamel.
ATR-FTIR spectroscopy (ATR: Attenuated total re-
flection) offers the possibility to detect the resulting sur-
face species, if present. The identification of these crystal
compounds / salts on the surface allows to determine the
related impact chemicals or aggressive agents, being re-
55
Figure 6: Enamel artworks at the Green Vault Dresden:
Results of environmental impact sensor measurements in
the museum (6 months exposure time) 1995 / 1997: Very
critical Delta-E values were partly found in showcases
(critical: from about 0,15 up to 1,0). Especially 1997: Situa-
tion after first interventions for the improvement of the mi-
cro climatical showcase conditions.
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Peter Mottner

The critical microclimatical situation could be clearly

detected and verified by the performance of environmental
impact sensors measurements (Figure 6). Moreover, the
improvement of the climatical conditions in the showcases
after subsequent interventions (e.g., removal of VOC-pol-
luted materials like wooden showcase parts or textiles,
mounting of ventilation) had been recorded with glass sen-
sor measuremenst over a period of 1ó years (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Enamel artworks at the Green Vault Dresden,

showcase 9: Results of environmental impact sensor mea-
surements (6 months exposure time) during 1997 / 1999 af-
ter interventions (removal of polluted materials, mounting
of ventilation). Constant improvement of microclimate is
obvious (1, 2: Different positions inside the showcase).
LIGHTCHECKì
In case of lighting damage potential (e.g., coatings on
metal, lacquers, composite materials), light dosimeters for
museum application are available, developed at Fraun-
hofer ISC within a European Research project (2001-
2004), and awarded with the Pan-European Grand Prix
d’Innovation (‘Cultural Heritage Preservation’) in 2003 in
Monaco for development and transfer to market as con-
certed project action. The product is available on the mar-
ket since then known as LightCheckì [7-8].
The LightCheckì dosimeter consists of a blue, light
sensitive dye embedded in a polymer ORMOCER© matrix
(ORMOCERs: ORganically MOdified CERamics. Si-
based, hybrid inorganic-organic resin systems; a trademark
of the Fraunhofer Society, Munich, Germany), applied on
a glass support. With time, lighting leads to bleaching of
the dye and therefore to a fading of the blue colour. The
annual lighting dose, and thus, a possibly related potential
damage risk for the artwork can be calculated by compari-
son of the colour intensity after a certain exposure time
with a standardised reference scale (see figure 8). Expo-
sure times can be estimated to be 4-6 weeks, depending on
the situation on site.
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Figure 8: LightCheckì dosimeter: Bleaching of the sensi-
tive dye during luminous exposure, represented by the ref-
erence colour scale.
ORDER / CONTACT
Environmental Impact Sensors:
Fraunhofer Institute ISC
Bronnbach Branch
D-97877 Wertheim/Bronnbach, Germany
E-mail: mottner@isc.frauenhofer.de
LightCheckì:
www.lightcheck.co.uk
REFERENCES
[1] Fuchs, D. R., Patzelt, H., Tuenker, G., Schmidt H.:
"Model glass test sensors - a new concept to investi-
gate and characterize external protective glazing",
CVMA News Letters, 41/42, pp. 27-29 (1988).
[2] Fuchs, D. R., Patzelt, H., Tuenker G.: "Process and
glass sensor for direct determination of complex cor-
rosive environmental conditions", US 5,075,235; DE
38 05 495 A1; EP 0 330 144 A1; EP 0 330 144 A2
[3] EC-funded project AMECP: Assessment and moni-
toring the environment of cultural property,
EV5V-CT92-0144 (1993-1996).
[4] German Technical Guideline VDI 3955/2: Assess-
AP°YPO¶OY§OY TELOS 30-01-08 11:01 ™ÂÏ›‰·57
Early Warning Dosimeters for Monitoring Indoor Museum Climate
ment of the corrosive effects of complex environmen-
tal conditions at materials: exposure of glass sensors.
Ed.: VDI, Duesseldorf. Beuth Verlag GmbH, Berlin,
Germany (1992).
[5] Leißner, J., Fuchs D. R.: "Investigations by glass sen-
sors on the corrosive environmental conditions at
stained glass windows with protective glazings in Eu-
rope", Mat., Res., So., Symp., J: Materials Issues in
Art and Archaeology 267, pp.1031-1038 (1992).
[6] Roemich, H., Mottner P.: "Glass sensors measure
weathering effects", available at: www.fraunhofer.
57
de/fhg/EN/press/pi/2004/09/ Mediendienst92004The-
ma2.jsp (2004)
[7] EC-funded project LiDo: A light dosimeter for moni-
toring cultural heritage: development, testing and
transfer to market, EVK4-CT2000-00016 (2001-
2004).
[8] Informations available at: www.lido.fraunhofer.de;
www.lightcheck.co.uk
[9] Various articles in: ‘Emailprojekt’ (research project
on enamel conservation), Restauro 6 (2000), Callwey
Verlag, Munich, Germany.