Search Results (3)

The old fibers that make up heritage textiles displayed in museums are degraded by the aging process, environmental conditions (microclimates, particulate matter, pollutants, sunlight) and the action of microorganisms. In order to counteract these processes and keep the textile exhibits in good condition for as long as possible, both reactive and preventive interventions on them are necessary. Based on these ideas, the present study aims to test a natural and non-invasive method of cleaning historic textiles, which includes the use of a natural substance with a known antifungal effect (being traditionally used in various rural communities)—lye. The design of the study was aimed at examining a traditional women’s shirt that is aged between 80–100 years, using artificial intelligence techniques for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imagery analysis and X-ray powder diffraction technique in order to achieve a complex and accurate investigation and monitoring of the object’s realities. The determinations were performed both before and after washing the material with lye. SEM microscopy investigations of the ecologically washed textile specimens showed that the number of microorganism colonies, as well as the amount of dust, decreased. It was also observed that the surface cellulose fibers lost their integrity, eventually being loosened on cellulose fibers of cotton threads. This could better visualize the presence of microfibrils that connect the cellulose fibers in cotton textiles. The results obtained could be of real value both for the restorers, the textile collections of the different museums, and for the researchers in the field of cultural heritage. By applying such a methodology, cotton tests can be effectively cleaned without compromising the integrity of the material. Full article

The identification of film support material is of utmost importance for evidence-based collection management in cultural heritage institutions, especially the identification of cellulose nitrate for fire safety reasons, as nitrate is highly flammable and deteriorates over time. Cellulose nitrate film was used by photographers and movie filmmakers from its release in the 1880s to the 1950s. Cellulose acetate, being called safety film, gradually began to replace cellulose nitrate, as it is not flammable. Despite its non-flammable properties, cellulose acetate also deteriorates in hazardous ways. Therefore, identification of cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate in collections is imperative for preservation and risk management to collections and humans. Large photographic collections can easily contain several thousand negatives or more, so a rapid, non-invasive and reliable method is needed. Traditional identification methods, such as destructive chemical tests, are sometimes unreliable, and spectroscopic analyses are normally time-consuming. To overcome these issues, rapid material characterization was performed in transflection mode with a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer equipped with an external reflectance module and an additional aluminum-foil reflector. With this newly developed method, the support material (cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate and polyester) of about 99.8% of all films can be determined within two seconds of measuring time, without any further spectral processing. Very distinctive spectral patterns are obtained with this new method, regardless of which side of the film is being analyzed. A simple visual inspection of the raw spectrum is usually sufficient to determine the film support identity. A detailed comparison of the various FTIR techniques shows the advantages of the transflection measurement for the material characterization of film support layers. This newly developed method enables the non-invasive, rapid and unambiguous material identification of even large film collections in a short time. Full article

Deacidification plays an important role in the conservation of paper-based cultural heritage objects. Herein, a novel approach for the conservation of scale paper-based cultural heritage objects is proposed using a mixture of argon and ethylene oxide (EO-Ar) for the first time. The optimum process conditions for deacidification of ethylene oxide and argon mixture system are determined by orthogonal testing. To evaluate the stabilization effect of paper treated with EO-Ar, the degradation of the mechanical properties (tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength tests) of paper after artificial aging was evaluated. The results show that the treated paper had better durability with respect to tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength. Additionally, thermal stability, crystallinity and fiber wall thickness increased after EO-Ar treated, which was determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), diffraction of X-rays (XRD), and thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis. Some compounds, such as polyethylene glycol, organic acids, esters, were detected by GC-MS after treatment with EO-Ar. Two hundred and forty books including acidic, weak acidic and alkaline books were successfully deacidified, resulting in pH values of paper ranges suitable for paper preservation. Finally, a possible mechanism of deacidification of EO-Ar was proposed. Full article