Abstract
Paper acidification causes paper relics to undergo embrittlement and decay, to form dregs, and even to break upon a single touch; therefore, reinforcement and deacidification treatments are essential steps for paper conservation and to retard the deterioration and prolong the life of objects. Polymeric adhesives play an essential role in reinforcement and deacidification treatments, although it is not well studied. In this work, the effect of polymeric adhesives on the conservation process and their protective effects on acidified paper relics were studied. Firstly, three polymeric adhesives, including wheat starch paste, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), were selected as research objects. Subsequently, their effects on four popular conservation methods were further discussed, including traditional mounting, hot-melt with silk net, alcohol-soluble cotton mesh, and water-soluble cotton mesh. Additionally, as an example, the reversibility and long-term durability of water-soluble adhesive PVA-217 were assessed. Using a computer measured and controlled folding endurance tester, pendulum tensile strength tester, tear tester, burst tester, FT-IR, video optical contact angle tester, and other instruments, the conservation application of water-soluble adhesives in paper relics was evaluated. This study provides a scientific basis and experimental data for the application of polymeric adhesives in the conservation of paper relics.
Highlights
IntroductionPaper has been widely used as a popular information carrier to record and present history and culture in the area of cultural relics [1–4]
Several back supports have been successfully applied in these acidic paper relics, which mainly include Japanese tissue, Chinese Xuan paper, silk net, cotton mesh, and so on [15–22]
The results showed that water-soluble adhesive polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-217 combined with cotton mesh and fragile paper relics to meet the current requirements for the mechanical properties after reinforcement and restoration
Summary
Paper has been widely used as a popular information carrier to record and present history and culture in the area of cultural relics [1–4]. Several back supports have been successfully applied in these acidic paper relics, which mainly include Japanese tissue, Chinese Xuan paper, silk net, cotton mesh, and so on [15–22]. Xuan paper is characterized by aging resistance, no discoloration, less moth damage, and long-term preservation, which can achieve a good reinforcement effect in paper relics. These two back supports were combined with wheat starch paste to reinforce fragile paper relics using a room-temperature mounting method. Cotton mesh has been proposed as a suitable back support to enhance the mechanical strength of acidic paper relics. Cotton mesh combined with alcohol-soluble adhesive was first applied for paper conservation at room temperature [20]. Polymer adhesives play an essential role in the conservation of paper relics
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