Back to Search
Start Over
Innovative chemical gels meet enzymes: A smart combination for cleaning paper artworks
- Source :
- Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Hypothesis Due to their highly retentive properties, innovative recently developed, semi-interpenetrated hydrogels made up of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) chains embedded in a poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (p(HEMA)) network should be efficiently used as cleaning material for fragile and degraded paper artworks. In restoration practice, indeed the wet cleaning of these artworks is usually performed by immersion of paper in water, a procedure which may lead to several drawbacks, including paper fibers swelling and dissolution of water-soluble original components. Experiments This class of gels were yet presented in literature, but their interactions with paper materials and ability to be spiked with active enzymes (as cleaning agents), have not been analyzed. To establish the suitability of these hydrogels as paper cleaning materials, first, a rheological and microstructural characterization of the gels was performed. Moreover, diffusion of macromolecules inside gels was studied using fluorescence microscopy, to check if these innovative hydrogels can be used as carriers for hydrolytic enzymes. Indeed, pastes and glues are usually found in old paper artworks, and their removal is a very delicate operation that requires a selective action, which is granted by specific hydrolytic enzymes. At the same time, spectroscopic analyses on paper samples under investigation before and after cleaning treatment has been performed, thus assessing the capabilty of these gels as cleaning materials. Findings With the aim of demonstrating the versatility of these hydrogels, several case studies, i.e., the removal of grime and water-soluble cellulose degradation byproducts, the removal of animal glue and the removal of starch paste from real samples, are presented. Results obtained with these gels have been compared to those obtained by using another gel used for paper artworks cleaning, i.e., Gellan gel.
- Subjects :
- Paper
Cleaning agent
Cellulose
Cleaning
Cultural heritage
Enzymes
Gellan
Hydrogel
Semi IPN
Materials science
macromolecular substances
02 engineering and technology
010402 general chemistry
Methacrylate
01 natural sciences
Diffusion
Biomaterials
chemistry.chemical_compound
Colloid and Surface Chemistry
Organic chemistry
Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica
Soft matter
Particle Size
Settore CHIM/12 - Chimica dell'Ambiente e dei Beni Culturali
Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate
Settore CHIM/02 - Chimica Fisica
Polysaccharides, Bacterial
Povidone
Water
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Surfaces, Coatings and Films
Wet cleaning
Hydrogels
Starch
Animal glue
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
0104 chemical sciences
Solubility
Chemical engineering
chemistry
Self-healing hydrogels
Self-assembly
Cultural Heritage
Rheology
0210 nano-technology
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00219797
- Volume :
- 502
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....15c3ae9ee296c113b9de2e7c0c792820