ANCHISE Talks 2 - What can nanotechnologies do to combat the illicit trafficking of antiquities?’

On March 28, 2024, the first season of ANCHISE Talks continued with its second episode, a compelling webinar that delved into another technology helpful to enhance ANCHISE domain. The webinar ‘What can nanotechnologies do to combat the illicit trafficking of antiquities?’ saw the participation of over 40 professionals and researchers to the presentation by Pr. Jérôme Plain  from Université de Technologie de Troyes. The conversation has been animated by Armando Fernandez from INOV (Anchise's Partner). 

Highlights of Pr. Plain presentation

Pr. Plain introduced nanotechnologies, defining the field as the manipulation of matter at the nanoscale (between 1 and 100 nanometers). He explained that reducing materials to the nanoscale significantly alters their physical and chemical properties. For example, gold nanoparticles can exhibit different colors depending on their size. He presented the two main approaches to nanoscale fabrication: top-down (reducing the size of bulk materials) and bottom-up (assembling structures from elemental building blocks).

Pr. Plain highlighted the diverse applications of nanotechnologies in fields such as electronics, energy, medicine, and the environment. He gave the example of displays based on the quantum dot’s technology, which use nanoparticles to enhance color quality. He also presented examples of nanoparticle-based nano-detectors capable of detecting minute amounts of substances.

Pr. Plain explained that the illicit trafficking of archaeological objects is a major issue and that nano-marking can offer an effective solution to protect these assets. He reviewed existing marking techniques, from traditional methods like permanent markers to advanced technologies like nano-holograms, nanoscale barcodes, and RFID chips. Nevertheless, the limitations of current solutions were highlighted, such as the complexity of reading markings and the need to send objects to specialized laboratories for analysis.

Solution Developed by Pr. Plain and His Team:

Pr. Plain presented a new nano-marking solution based on inks and varnishes containing nanoparticles. This solution enables multiple pieces of information to be encoded in a transparent marking, such as the excavation site and date, the museum name, and more.

A portable, low-cost detector can read the code directly on the archaeological site, eliminating the need to send objects to a laboratory. Pr. Plain's team is currently working on improving the ink’s durability and making it more resistant to environmental conditions.

This ANCHISE webinar shed light on the potential of nanotechnologies for protecting cultural assets. The nano-marking solution developed by Pr. Plain and his team offers a promising alternative to traditional methods by enabling discreet, durable, and easily identifiable markings. Collaboration among stakeholders is essential to develop and disseminate these innovative technologies to effectively combat the illicit trafficking of antiquities.

European Doctor from the University of Poitiers and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (2001) and HDR from the University of Technology of Compiègne (2008), Jérôme Plain obtained an assistant professor position in 2005 in UTT and promoted to associated Professor in 2008. Jérôme Plain has been promoted Full Professor at the Troyes University of Technology since 2011 and Distinguished Professor since 2019.

Since 1998, he has been a contractual researcher in various European research centers: the Institute of Materials Science in Barcelona (Spain) and the University of Poitiers (1998-2001), the TU Wien (2000), the University of Tours (2001-2002), the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium, 2002-2004) and finally the University of Technology of Troyes. Jérôme Plain is a recognized expert in nanostructuring and in the applications of nanoparticles in the field of nanooptics (near-field photopolymerization, enhanced spectroscopy…). He supervised more than 20 PhD students and authored or co-authored more than 100 papers in referred journals.

Watch the recording here: