Although they look similar by eye, cadmium yellow pigments, first produced in the mid-19th century, can have different crystalline structures. These different structures, along with a range of impurities that can be present in the pigment, can have a significant impact on long-term stability. Recent work explores how spectroscopy can unravel the compositional profile of historical cadmium yellow pigments, paving the way to help better understanding the degradation of modern pigments. Continue reading Shining new light on historical cadmium yellow pigments with time-resolved photoluminescence microscopy