The long term indoor atmospheric corrosion of iron: rust layer characterisation

The study of long term indoor atmospheric corrosion is involved in the field of iron bearing in building heritage. Concerning historical artefacts, due to the complexity of the system, it is necessary to couple many analytical techniques from the macro to the microscopic scale. This enables a schematisation of the Amiens cathedral chains rust layer, constituted of a matrix of goethite, with lepidocrocite locally present in the rust layer and marblings of a poor crystallised phase associated to ferrihydrite. The reduction capacity of the rust layer has also been studied using electrochemical methods