Research Interests:
Since 2004, scientific research on the damaged Giant Buddha statues and Buddhist paintings in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, has been conducted at various laboratories and large-scale facilities using mass-spectrometry techniques (GC-MS, LC-MS,... more
Since 2004, scientific research on the damaged Giant Buddha statues and Buddhist paintings in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, has been conducted at various laboratories and large-scale facilities using mass-spectrometry techniques (GC-MS, LC-MS, LC-MS/MS, nano-LC/ESI-MS/MS), ELISA, and synchrotron-based micro-analyses) in parallel to conservation intervention. Studies on samples from these cultural heritage objects have shown that each is composed of a polychromatic multilayered structure with sizing layers, ground layers, painted layers, and glaze. The carefully produced complex multilayered structures were examined using optical microscopy (visible and UV light) as well as synchrotron-based infrared microscopy, both of which revealed various organic and inorganic components in each layer. High sensitivity bulk MS and ELISA methods were used to further identify details regarding organic materials, such as fatty acids and collagens, and these results suggest different vegetable oils and anima...