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Korean hand papermaking is a renowned cultural tradition in the Korean peninsula. It is still practiced while scientific analysis of paper itself from a large data set is rare. In this study, a set of more than three hundred Korean handmade papers, collected in a reference collection book Hanji: Korean handmade paper, were chemically investigated, and their property data such as colour, pH, grammage, thickness, tensile strength, folding endurance were statistically analysed in order to determine general features for Korean papers. The influence of different paper sheet formation methods (Heullimtteugi vs Gadumtteugi) were revealed by multivariate data analysis and the chemical profiles of raw materials were studied by pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The Korean handmade paper samples display colour gamut in the colour space L* (69.9–95.9), a* [(−3)-3], b* (0–20), most have neutral/alkaline pH values. Paper density, fiber orientation and physical properties are influenced by the sheet formation techniques. For instance, Gadumtteugi tends to produce papers with strong fiber orientation while Heullimtteugi produces papers with more evenly distribution of fibers. In addition, Py-GC/MS analysis results show that paper mulberry fibers contain less intensity lignin monomers and more terpenic compounds in comparison with gampi and mitsumata fibers. This study provides paper analysis from large sample set, statistics reveal that the material preparing and making craft determined the paper structure which reflected in their physical properties. These properties influenced paper performance and applications in art creations as well as relics conservation and restoration. The characterized paper sample database could be used for handmade paper studies in East Asian region. Consequently, this study contributes to a better understanding of contemporary Hanji properties as well as improves knowledge on handmade papers from the Korean peninsula.

Magnetic tapes contain information that are an important part of our cultural heritage and must be preserved for further generations. However, they are unfortunately threatened due to the chemical deterioration of the magnetic layer. In order to develop a tool to assess the tape collection condition, 300 U-matic videotapes from the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA) collection dated from 1975 to 1995 were analysed by different analytical techniques. The authors were attempting to constitute a group of 29 reference tapes representative of the INA collection using various analytical testing. The focus of this study was on hydrolytic tape stability using binder polymer identification and ageing tests. It was found that PET based polyester–polyurethane binders demonstrated a higher hydrolytic stability than binders made of poly(butyleneadipate)/polyurethane, which are more susceptible to fast deterioration. The authors examined the role of adipic acid in the hydrolytic degradation process. For such tape binders, a deterioration assessment method could be based on monitoring the adipic acid concentration and adipic acid rich oligomeric fragments in the binders. A method for measuring the amount of polymeric fragments in the low molecular weight region is proposed.

The aim of this study was to investigate the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in magnetic tapes after several decades of natural ageing at room temperature. Headspace solid-phase microextraction was used as a sample preparation technique and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to characterise the VOCs. Eight samples of polyester-based magnetic tapes having a magnetic coating made of a poly(urethane-ester) polymeric binder, various additives and magnetic particles were investigated. The compounds identified in the samples were fatty acid ester lubricants, compounds from antioxidants such as 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methyl-phenol, manufacturing by-products such as cyclic polyester oligomers, and deterioration compounds from the magnetic coating. Homologous series of carboxylic acids, furanones and aldehydes have also been identified. The latter compounds were exclusively present in the magnetic coating and could be related to the odour intensity by odour sensory ranking testing. These compounds are most likely to be the source of the often reported characteristic smell.