Researcher

Alba Alvarez Martin

Research Expertise:My research is focussed on studying the degradation of historical organic pigments used in oil paintings. These complex pigments are metal-dye clusters that change their conformation over time. In addition, these clusters can interact with other components in oil paint leading to the gradual loss in vibrancy of the original colour. These chemical changes can be monitored by using a combination of spectroscopic and high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques. The ground-breaking aspect of my research is the unique approach of micro-destructive techniques to drastically improve our understanding of the molecular fragmentation pathways of organic pigments and expose their triggers.

Research techniques:- Gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) - Liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry (LC-MS)

Users of research expertise:conservators, restorers, art historians, curators and museum staff