Maya Blue is actually one of the best known examples of an organic-inorganic hybrid material. Yet despite 50 years of sustained interest, its microscopic structure and its relation to durability remain open questions. We address the issue by archaeomimetism: engineering an archaeoinspired pigment, satisfactorily reproducing the colour and chemical stability of Maya Blue. By comparing and contrasting ancient pigment and the new analogue, we deduce a new explanation for this durability.
@article{arxiv.1007.0818,
title = {Revisiting Maya Blue and Designing Hybrid Pigments by Archaeomimetism},
author = {Catherine Dejoie and Eric Dooryhee and Pauline Martinetto and Sylvie Blanc and Patrice Bordat and Ross Brown and Florence Porcher and Manolo Sanchez Del Rio and Pierre Strobel and Michel Anne and Elsa Van Eslande and Philippe Walter},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1007.0818},
year = {2010}
}