1. Facile Use of ZnO Nanopowders to Protect Old Manual Paper Documents
- Author
-
Alina-Maria Holban, R. Trusca, Ludmila Motelica, Bogdan-Stefan Vasile, Florina Dumitru, Aurelian Popescu, Ovidiu Oprea, and Anca-Gabriela Răzvan
- Subjects
photocatalytic activity ,long time protection ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,medicine.disease_cause ,lcsh:Technology ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Mold ,medicine ,General Materials Science ,BioHazard ,Cellulose ,lcsh:Microscopy ,lcsh:QC120-168.85 ,antimicrobial activity ,lcsh:QH201-278.5 ,lcsh:T ,paper ,Human decontamination ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Pulp and paper industry ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry ,lcsh:TA1-2040 ,ZnO ,Environmental science ,lcsh:Descriptive and experimental mechanics ,lcsh:Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering ,lcsh:Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ,0210 nano-technology ,lcsh:TK1-9971 - Abstract
One of the main problems faced by libraries, archives and collectors is the mold degradation of the paper-based documents, books, artworks etc. Microfungi (molds) emerge in regular storage conditions of such items (humidity, usually over 50%, and temperatures under 21 °C). If the removal of the visible mycelium is relatively easy, there is always the problem of the subsequent appearance of mold as the spores remain trapped in the cellulosic, fibrillary texture, which acts as a net. Moreover, due to improper hand hygiene bacteria contamination, old books could represent a source of biohazard, being colonized with human pathogens. An easy and accessible method of decontamination, which could offer long term protection is therefore needed. Here, we present a facile use of the ZnO nanopowders as antimicrobial agents, suitable for cellulose-based products, conferring an extended antibacterial and anti-microfungal effect. The proposed method does not adversely impact on the quality of the cellulose documents and could be efficiently used for biodegradation protection.
- Published
- 2020