The technique, computed tomography ctPDF (ctPDF), was developed by researchers at Columbia Engineering and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) with the intention of using it to study catalysts and batteries.
One of the researchers, Professor Simon Billinge, was approached by nanoscientists from the University of Sheffield, and the idea arose to use ctPDF to examine what was happening inside the remains of the Mary Rose non-destructively.
The Mary Rose sank during the Battle of the Solent in 1545. The shipwreck was excavated and raised in 1982 through an extremely complex procedure. It is displayed and carefully conserved, along with the thousands of artefacts found onboard, at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.
Continuing to conserve the unique ship requires detailed knowledge of the distribution and chemistry of destructive materials in the historic timber. This is a challenge given the heterogenous nature of waterlogged wood, which cannot...