Abstract
Museums and galleries house increasingly large collections of objects and contemporary art made of plastic materials, many of which undergo rapid material change. The main degradation processes of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) are elimination of HCl and plasticizer migration or leaching. This results in visible discolouration, stickiness and cracking. Degradation is known to be a multi-stage process that includes HCl elimination, formation of conjugated polyenes and cross-linking. Elimination of HCl begins due to structural irregularities (allylic and tertiary chlorides) and results in the formation of polyenes. When at least 7 conjugated double bonds are present, discolouration of PVC becomes visible. Non-invasive techniques, such as IR and Raman spectroscopy are used for polymer identification and plasticizer quantification. Plasticizer degradation and particularly the late stages of PVC degradation can be investigated using SEC, GC-MS, TGA and DSC. Studies in heritage collections have revealed that, apart from HCl, PVC objects emit 2-ethylhexanol and other volatile degradation products, however, there is currently no indication that HCl is emitted at usual indoor conditions. There seems to be a general lack of systematic research into PVC degradation at the conditions of storage and display, which could result in the development of dose-response functions and in the development of preventive conservation guidelines for the management of PVC collections.
Highlights
In the 20th century, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and other plastics have achieved widespread use in daily life[1], with more than 5 M tonnes of PVC produced in Europe in 2018 alone, representing 10% of all plastic.[2]
A survey of museum collections in France, Netherlands and the United Kingdom was carried out in the scope of the project POPART during 2008–2012.5 The results showed that PVC was present in all collections and represented 13% of all plastic objects
The concentration of DEHP was determined from a band characteristic for C-H stretching at 2860 cm– 1, while the concentration of PVC was determined from a band attributed to CH2 wagging at 1426 cm–1
Summary
In the 20th century, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and other plastics have achieved widespread use in daily life[1], with more than 5 M tonnes of PVC produced in Europe in 2018 alone, representing 10% of all plastic.[2]. A survey of museum collections in France, Netherlands and the United Kingdom was carried out in the scope of the project POPART during 2008–2012.5 The results showed that PVC was present in all collections and represented 13% of all plastic objects. The degradation state was assessed and 68% of objects in the collection were in a good or fair state, 25% were in a state of significant decay and 7% were severely damaged. Cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose nitrate (CN) and PVC represented 40% of all objects in poor state.[5] Plasticized PVC was a major commodity plastic found in the collection of the Museé d’art moderne et d’art contemporain (MAMAC) in Nice, France, and in the Musée d’art moderne de SaintEtienne Métropole (MAM). The surveys had exposed the problem of museums having a lack of reliable information regarding the identity of the polymers before the FTIR and Py-GC-MS analysis was carried out .8
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