Study on Indoor Particles inside Emperor Qin's Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum with SEM-EDX

(Central Research Grant, PolyU, HK$ 150,000, 2007-2008): Qin terra-cotta warrior statue is one of the most important cultural heritages of the world. They were inevitably undergone deterioration by pollution since being excavated and displayed to public more than 30 years ago. Indoor airborne particles, dust fall and terra-cotta shards in Emperor Qin’s Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum were collected and characterized with modern analytical methods to investigate the actual indoor environment. Subsequently, faked terra-cotta and Qin brick samples were placed into environmental chambers and input with gas pollutants. Instrumental analyses as XPS, IC, and SEM-EDX were adopted to determine the morphologies and chemical compositions on the surface of samples before and after purging with single and mixed gas pollutants. The results were used to evaluate the indoor environment and the long-range potential hazards to warrior statues posed by fluctuant of temperature and relative humidity, gaseous pollutants and suspended particles. The discussion and conclusion in this study may provide valuable information for curators. And the ventilation system and display strategy should be considered to provide a better conservation environment for terra-cotta statues.

Funding Source: UGC - Other Specific Funds/Earmarked Grants^