A l’occasion de la fin du programme ANR Nanochéops, un colloque international de trois jours est organisé à l’abbaye de Royaumont du 26 au 28 octobre 2012.
In the recent years, a great effort has been undertaking to develop new materials and to understand phenomena at the nanoscale. These comprise nanoparticles, macromolecules and supermolecules, and often involve fundamental chirality aspects. On the other hand, linking these innovative domains with Cultural heritage materials inaugurates a new direction of research to the benefit of many disciplines: using new methodologies for the understanding of the ancient materials or conversely, explore the old to invent the future.
For instance, how nanoparticles were formed through ancient technologies? Is supramolecular organization a key factor for long preservation of Heritage materials? What are the bioorganic origins of chirality? Here, we have to take into account the archaeological and historical periods of time as a “fourth dimension in chemistry” measured in centuries and millennia, in order to approach the significance of materials analyzed at the present time.
These outline a contour of “Molecular and Structural Archaeology”. This workshop is organized as the final event of the Nanocheops program, dealing with the preservation of hair and similar macromolecules, as well as the use of nanoparticles to dye hair. It is planned to favor contacts between scientists leading in their domains, and specialists on ancient materials.
Session 1 – Nanoparticles and Cultural Heritage
Session 2 – Proteins: supramolecular properties, interaction with gold nanoparticles
Session 3 – Analytical techniques
Session 4 – Metal-sulfide nanoparticles: synthesis and properties
Session 5 – Chirality, proteins and history
This workshop is organized in an Abbey built in the thirteenth century by Saint Louis. Located in a protected environment at North of Paris, the abbey still stands in the middle of ponds and forests. Its cloister and refectory are among the finest to date. The park and gardens are conducive to leisurely walk and to scientific interacting. (This workshop is supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, NANOCHEOPS project, ANR-08-NANO-019-01.)