Special Collection of Papers from the Chemistry for Cultural Heritage Conference, Slovenia, 2026

Cultural heritage materials are complex, heterogeneous systems that evolve over time in response to their environment, use, and conservation interventions. Understanding the materiality of cultural heritage, its composition, structure, degradation mechanisms, and interactions with surrounding conditions, is fundamental for the development of informed and sustainable conservation strategies and evidence-based heritage management. This special collection brings together high-quality research originating from contributions to ChemCH 2026 – Chemistry for Cultural Heritage, highlighting state-of-the-art chemical and material science research that advances the understanding, monitoring, and preservation of cultural heritage. The collection reflects the interdisciplinary yet chemistry-driven nature of the field, where analytical innovation and methodological robustness form the basis for informed conservation decision-making.

The collection focuses on the application of analytical chemistry and material science methods to the study of organic and inorganic heritage materials across a broad range of typologies, including archaeological and historic objects, archival and library materials, built heritage, and cultural landscapes. The articles explore how advanced analytical techniques, high-resolution chemical imaging, and mapping approaches enhance our ability to characterize heritage materials, monitor their condition, assess risks, and evaluate conservation treatments over time.

Articles also address the importance of green materials, sustainable eco-friendly conservation approaches and life cycle assessment of conservation materials and processes in balancing between environmental impact of conservation practices, their effectiveness and long-term benefits.

 In parallel, the transformative role of digital tools such as data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and digital twins is highlighted to show their advancement and support in the interpretation, integration and exploitation of complex analytical datasets. Particular attention is given to the fusion of multimodal data derived from complementary analytical techniques bridging chemical analysis, material behaviour and environmental influence supporting robust material identification, condition assessment, and decision-making processes in a holistic approach.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• advanced analytical techniques in cultural heritage,
• high-resolution imaging, chemical mapping, and multimodal data fusion,
• understanding materials: characterization, production, degradation, and conservation
• green materials for sustainable conservation,
• data science, machine learning, AI and visualisation for material analysis, interpretation and prediction,
• fusion of multimodal data from different techniques for holistic interpretation,
• digital twins and predictive models for monitoring heritage materials and environments,
• life cycle assessment of conservation materials and processes,
• interdisciplinary case studies.

We welcome experimental, methodological, and applied studies that demonstrate how chemistry, combined with advanced analytical and digital technologies, contributes to a deeper understanding of heritage materials and supports sustainable preservation of cultural heritage across scales.