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This Reprint presents a collection of recent advances in analytical strategies applied to cultural heritage materials, highlighting how modern chemistry, spectroscopy, and data-driven approaches can provide insight into the composition, degradation, and conservation of artworks and historical artefacts. The contributions span a wide variety of materials and case studies, demonstrating the versatility of contemporary analytical methods. Several articles highlight the potential of vibrational spectroscopy, including attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), external-reflection FTIR, and multivariate analysis, for the characterization of dyes, binders, photographic prints, and paint alteration phenomena. Other studies address the formation of metal soaps in alkyd paints, the identification of lipid binders in wall paintings using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) combined with chemometric tools, and the investigation of environmental volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by historical books. This Reprint also includes research on nanocomposite hydrogels for paper cleaning and protective materials functionalized with metal-oxide nanoparticles, underscoring the role of materials science in conservation. Finally, analytical chemistry is extended to forensic-heritage contexts, with a study of personal items recovered from mass graves.

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eng

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