Materials Characterization in Colonial American Money

Dr. Khachatur Manukyan
Department of Physics
University of Notre Dame

The scientific characterization of cultural heritage objects and historical artifacts are becoming increasingly crucial for preservation, restoration, dating, and authentication. This talk will present a wide range of non-invasive spectroscopic and imaging methods and newly developed analytic procedures to investigate materials in colonial American paper money, printed by Benjamin Franklin and stored in the Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame. I will present the scientific basis of the analytical methods used and highlight the specific features for analysis of cellulose and additives in the production of paper and ink in printing. I will then present several new procedures for determining the composition and structure of these materials to uncover ingenious methods that Franklin invented to protect his paper money.

Hosted by Prof. Wiescher