Analysis of black crusts from several European monuments : a challenge to deepen understanding the relationship among microstructure, microchemical features and pollution sources

This contribution focuses on spectrometric analyses carried out on black crust samples, collected from buildings and churches belonging to the European built Heritage, i.e., the Corner Palace in Venice (Italy), the Cathedral of St. Rombouts in Mechelen (Belgium), the Church of St. Eustache in Paris (France) and the Tower of London (United Kingdom). Such monuments, all built in carbonate stones, were selected for their historic and artistic relevance, as well as for their location in different urban contexts. For an exhaustive account of the sampled black crusts, an approach integrating complementary techniques was used, including optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS).