摘要： Nd-YAG Q-Switched laser devices operating at 1064 nm have been considered in the 1990s as the most promising tool for cleaning stone sculptures, and more particularly eliminating indurated black gypsum crusts. However, the spreading of this laser technology has been undermined because of the yellow hue it occasionally conveys to the cleaned surfaces as seen on Figure 1. Especially in France, this yellowing effect is considered as a major esthetic issue by conservators and the laser technique has gradually disappeared from the restoration sites. This discoloration issue remains partly unexplained: a currently admitted hypothesis states that the iron containing compounds present in the black crusts would transform, upon laser irradiation, into yellow iron-rich nanophase(s) that would re-deposit on the cleaned substrate. To verify this hypothesis, model black crusts have been elaborated by mixing hematite α-Fe2O3 and gypsum CaSO4.2H2O in different proportions. The model crusts were irradiated using a Nd-YAG QS laser resulting in ablation of numerous particles in a visible smoke and the color of the samples shifted instantaneously from red to a bright yellow. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to characterize the morphology of the nanostructures generated by the laser, both in the smoke and on the surface of the samples as observed in Figure 2. In addition, the chemical composition of the neo-formed nanophases was determined by aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS) and high angle annular dark field imaging (HAADF) as seen on Figure 3. It was found that both the surface of the samples and the ablated micro-materials are covered by an irregular nano-film and by dispersed spherical nanoparticles, all containing iron and oxygen. These results ascertain the link between the yellowing effect and the presence of iron containing nanophases after irradiation.