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Advanced Materials in Cultural Heritage Conservation

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A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Advanced Materials Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 4485

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Dr. Qixing Xia

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Guest Editor

Institute of Culture and Heritage, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710000, China
Interests: metal cultural relics conservation; archaeological science; cultural relic conservation materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The preservation of cultural heritage relics—including metals, ceramics, stone, textiles, paper, wood, and painted artifacts—faces challenges from environmental degradation, biological damage, and mechanical wear. To address these issues, researchers are developing innovative materials such as the following:

Protective coatings (e.g., nanocomposites and hydrophobic polymers);
Consolidants (e.g., silica-based gels and organic–inorganic hybrids);
Corrosion inhibitors (for metals);
Biocides and antifungal agents (for organic materials);
Sustainable and eco-friendly materials (e.g., bio-based polymers).

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge advancements in materials science for heritage conservation, emphasizing durability, compatibility, and minimal intervention. We welcome original research, reviews, and case studies on the following:

✔ Novel materials for preventive and remedial conservation;

✔ Characterization techniques (e.g., spectroscopy and microscopy);

✔ Laboratory and field applications;

✔ AI and computational modeling in material design;

We encourage submissions from materials scientists, conservators, archaeologists, chemists, and engineers. Your expertise can bridge the gap between innovation and practical conservation.

We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Best regards,

Dr. Qixing Xia
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

advanced materials
gels
microemulsions
nanoparticles
functional materials
composites
cultural heritage preservation
cleaning
consolidation
protection

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 8302 KB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of Handmade Ultra-Lightweight Hanji Treated with Wet-Strength Agents for Paper-Based Cultural Heritage Conservation

by Sang-Hyun Lee and Tae-Ho Choi

Materials 2026, 19(18), 3986; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19183986 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026

Abstract

Ultra-lightweight paper is indispensable for conserving paper-based cultural heritage. However, machine-made thin paper (MTP) exhibits pronounced strength anisotropy caused by preferential fiber orientation. This study evaluated handmade ultra-lightweight Hanji (7.2 g/m²) produced from Broussonetia kazinoki bast fiber pulp cooked with traditional plant-ash lye and formed by the oebal method, as a potential alternative to MTP (7.0 g/m²) in paper conservation. Polyamideamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) and glyoxylated polyacrylamide (GPAM) were applied as wet-strength agents, either alone or combined with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The treated papers were characterized based on weight increase, dry and wet tensile index, pH, color change, and stability after accelerated aging at 80 °C and 65% relative humidity for 72 h. PAE treatment resulted in greater weight uptake than GPAM treatment, while CMC co-treatment further increased weight uptake and tensile strength for both wet-strength agents. Unlike MTP, whose cross-directional strength could not be measured, Hanji retained comparable tensile strength in both directions, reflecting its isotropic fiber network. After aging, GPAM-treated Hanji maintained a higher pH than PAE-treated Hanji and showed less color change, whereas CMC improved strength but reduced color stability. GPAM-treated handmade Hanji provides a more pH-favorable, direction-independent, and potential alternative to MTP for paper-based cultural heritage conservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials in Cultural Heritage Conservation)

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19 pages, 12140 KB

Open AccessArticle

Biodeterioration Control of the Longhu Pagoda Stone Heritage, China: Identification of Deteriogens and Evaluation of Biocidal Efficacy

by Juanli Wang, Ye Tian, Jiayao Tian and Qingyang Xie

Materials 2026, 19(16), 3361; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19163361 - 7 Aug 2026

Viewed by 368

Abstract

Longhu Pagoda, a national key cultural heritage site located at the southern foot of Hushan Mountain in Liubao, Jinan, Shandong Province, is a masterpiece of Tang-dynasty stone pagoda architecture and a core component of the Shentong Temple heritage complex alongside the Four Gates Pagoda. The pagoda features a distinctive “Tang-dynasty body, Song-dynasty crown” structure: its stone base and main body, carved with intricate high-reliefs of dragons, tigers, heavenly kings, arhats, and apsaras, date back to the late Tang Dynasty (717–845 AD), while the brick eaves and roof were reconstructed during the Northern Song Dynasty. Severely threatened by biodeterioration induced by bryophytes, lichens, and associated microorganisms, the pagoda’s exquisitely carved stone surface has undergone irreversible aesthetic degradation and structural weakening, threatening its thousand-year-old artistic integrity. Biocide treatment is a commonly adopted strategy for stone heritage conservation. This study aims to characterize the specific biodeteriogens colonizing Longhu Pagoda and evaluate the efficacy of various biocides for targeted conservation intervention. In this study, biological samples collected from Longhu Pagoda were first identified: bryophyte samples contained chloroplasts, with some having morphological characteristics similar to Pottiaceae or Grimmiaceae; symbiotic algae isolated from lichen samples were identified as Chlorella sp.; four dominant fungal strains were isolated via morphological observation and molecular sequencing (ITS), namely Aspergillus niger (F1), Trichoderma yunnanense (F2), Talaromyces ruber (F3), and Aspergillus aflatoxiformans (F4). On this basis, the inhibitory effects of different biocides on dominant deteriorating organisms were systematically evaluated via chlorophyll fluorescence analysis, algal growth inhibition tests, and oxford cup assays, combined with field verification on Longhu Pagoda. The optimal biocide with stable inhibition efficacy and favorable stone compatibility was screened out. The results provide technical support for the biological conservation of Longhu Pagoda and similar stone cultural relics suffering from microbial biodeterioration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials in Cultural Heritage Conservation)

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11 pages, 13885 KB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Textile Metal Threads in Croatia Through the Centuries

by Kristina Šimić, Ozana Martinčić, Damir Doračić and Tanja Pušić

Materials 2026, 19(11), 2290; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19112290 - 28 May 2026

Viewed by 362

Abstract

By studying and analysing a great number of textile metal threads from different time periods in Croatia, from archaeological sites to preserved specimens from various museum collections, change can be seen through the centuries. Metal threads decorate textiles not only for aesthetic purposes, but also to display wealth, assert authority, and command respect. Primarily, such decorated clothing was worn for liturgical purposes, ceremonial folk customs, or to mark high military ranks. Through the characteristics of these threads, one can see the change in the customs and lives of the people who used them in different ways and for different purposes. The shine and luxury that the first gold metal threads have can be achieved with lower quality threads like silver, copper, and their alloys. As the quality of metal textile threads decreased, they became cheaper and more applicable in everyday life. The use of metal textile threads on clothing increased, and through the century, they became a clothing part for all people, not just the privileged. Analyses of metal threads were performed with scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDX) due to its sensitivity and suitability for the observation of metal threads from various textiles. The type of textile cores from the combined textile metal threads was determined through a laboratory optical microscope. Differences have been observed between archaeological and historical textile metal threads in terms of physical properties, as well as textile and metal composition. Archaeological samples are combined textile metal threads that have a metal component of gilded silver and a textile component of silk. While more recent historical samples have different types of metal threads, from individual threads of lamellae and wires to combined textile metal threads. Most samples have cotton as a textile component, while copper, alone or in alloys, predominates in the metal threads. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials in Cultural Heritage Conservation)

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11 pages, 7115 KB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Fiber Residues Unearthed from the Dabuzi Han Tomb in Xi’an, Shaanxi

by Zhenzhen Ma, Yingpei Zhu, Jing Shao, Xianting Hou, Menghe Cui, Bei Zhang, Jianxi Li and Qixing Xia

Materials 2025, 18(20), 4812; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204812 - 21 Oct 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3037

Abstract

In 2021, archeologists found that a bronze mirror was wrapped with a yellow-green fiber sheet in the Western Han tomb M68 in the Dabuzi Cemetery in Xi’an, China. To ascertain the composition and function, a scanning electronic microscopy–energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) were combined for the morphology and components’ analysis. The results showed that the surface of the yellow-green fiber sheet was very rough without curtain patterns, and the fiber was disorderly intertwined. The paper was quite thick with various thicknesses (the average thickness was 0.58 mm) and the average diameter of the fiber was 20.71 μm. There were obvious transverse joint stripes on the fiber cell with longitudinal stripes characteristic of ramie or hemp. The main ingredients were cellulose, semi-cellulose, and lignin. Based on the above comprehensive joint experiments, the yellow-green fiber sheet in M68 was presumably ancient hemp paper made with the fixed-mold method. Moreover, it was speculated to be a package material since no characters were found. This paper is of great significance for studying the Chinese fixed-mold paper-making technique and for understanding the origins and developmental trajectory of ancient paper-making technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials in Cultural Heritage Conservation)

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