Plastic Artefacts Research Articles

Accepting the decay of plastic artifacts in museums: pasts and futures surfacing in a life preserver from sunken MS Estonia

ABSTRACT This is a case study of a deformed life preserver originating from the ferryboat MS Estonia that sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994. In this post qualitatively positioned research article, I argue that transformed plastic is an active agent of both the decision-making and interpretation of a museum object made of plastic. This article contributes in a new way to the discussion of how museums of cultural history could manage deteriorating plastic objects. So far, a scientific materialist approach, guided by research in conservation science, has emphasised the need for special conditions to safeguard rapidly deteriorating plastic artefacts for future generations. However, the agency of deteriorating plastic does not only call for conserving the plastic material ‘forever’, but it also requires letting go of the ideal of minimising the further degradation of plastic.

Preservation of Plastic Cultural Heritage. A Review

This article deals with the broad topic of the conservation of plastics, which, as objects of historical or artistic value an essential part of collections all around the world. This review focuses on the risks associated with plastic art, its degradation pathways, methods of identification and characterization, and currently used methods of preservation. Besides the literature review, an online survey of European museums and galleries was conducted, which allowed us to gain an overview of the current state of plastic conservation. Twelve institutions participated in the survey and there is a marked difference in the level of information regarding plastics in their collections. The results underline the relevance and urgency of this issue if we want to prevent the irreversible losses of cultural heritage, as many institutions do not have the means to ensure the effective protection of plastic artifacts. The study of available resources shows us that great progress has been made in recent years, but further research and improvement are still needed.

Multimodal spectroscopic assessment of mechanical and chemical properties of ABS objects in cultural heritage preservation

The 1960s saw the emergence of plastic as an indispensable component in various fields, including art and design. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is widely used by artists and designers for a range of applications including sculptures and decorative pieces. Consequently, the necessity to conserve ABS from deterioration is a crucial issue in the field of cultural heritage preservation. Many studies have highlighted the criticality of the stability of the polybutadiene component when exposed to light. We propose a new multimodal spectroscopic approach to assess the conservation status of plastic design objects. This non-destructive approach combines correlative Brillouin and Raman micro-spectroscopy (BRaMS), external reflection IR spectroscopy and portable NMR relaxometry. BRaMS is a novel non-destructive technique in the field of heritage conservation, allowing simultaneous monitoring of chemical and mechanical changes occurring at the sample surface. The present study focused on photochemically aged LEGO® bricks made of ABS and aimed to i) correlate chemical and mechanical changes induced by light exposure and ii) introduce a surface degradation index (SDI), measurable in situ by external reflection IR spectroscopy, to assess the state of conservation of plastic artefacts. Finally, non-invasive investigations were carried out on real design objects using the MObile LABoratory (MOLAB) platform.

Plastic Artefacts from Archaeological Investigations Carried out at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp Complex in 2015–2022

This article is a study of the results of archaeological research conducted at the site of the former German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Jawischowitz forced labour sub-camp attached to it. It discusses historical objects produced from plastics, as a result of chemical modification of natural products or synthesis of products of chemical processing of coal, oil or natural gas. The history of previous archaeological research at the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp complex and its sub-camps is outlined. The scope and regions of research that were carried out by the authors between 2015 and 2022 are discussed. Plastic products have been characterised by grouping them in terms of raw material and function, distinguishing among other things everyday objects and parts of clothing. On this basis, a comparative base was created, which can serve as a basis for applying a preliminary chronological division of plastic products.

Sublethal Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on the Embryonic Development of Artemia salina (Linnaeus, 1758).

Currents, wave motion, solar radiation, and abrasion are mechanisms responsible for the degradation of large plastic artifacts and contribute to the dispersion of micro and nanoplastics into aquatic ecosystems, which are, currently, the most dangerous threats due to their invisibility and persistence. The present work evaluated the possible lethal and sublethal effects of amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (nPS-NH2) with diameters of 50 nm and 100 nm on Artemia salina (A. salina), an organism at the base of the trophic chain of the aquatic system, using a widely used model for the analysis of embryotoxicity from environmental pollutants. For this purpose, after evaluating the biodistribution of nanoplastics in the body of the tested animals, several endpoints such as anomalies, apoptosis, and ROS production were assessed. In addition, particular attention was dedicated to evaluating the correlation between toxicity and the particle size tested. The results reported that, despite the absence of a lethal impact, several sublethal effects involving gut and body size malformations, as well as the enhancement of apoptosis and oxidative stress in relation to an increase in tested concentration and a decrease in nanoparticle size.

From microfibre cloths to poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels – conservation cleaning of plastics heritage

In 2012, the EU 7th Framework Programme project Preservation of Plastic Artefacts in Museum Collections (POPART) used optical and scanning electron microscopies, as well as changes in surface energy and gloss to conduct an exhaustive evaluation of cleaning techniques for their effectiveness at cleaning cellulose acetate, polyethylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate). POPART concluded that applying anionic and nonionic detergent solutions with polyester microfibre cloth cleaned more effectively and produced fewer scratches than using dry, cleaning tools. Polyethylene and polystyrene were the plastics found to be most vulnerable to scratching. In 2018, the Horizon 2020 research project Nanomaterials for the Restoration of Works of Art (NANORESTART) evaluated the effectiveness of hydrogels for cleaning plastics and added infrared spectroscopy to the suite of evaluation instruments used in POPART. The present study compared on an equal basis the materials, model soils and most effective cleaning techniques examined by the POPART and NANORESTART projects. The research concluded that hydrogels induced significantly less damage than traditional cleaning tools and that sebum soil proved more resistant to removal from plastics than carbonaceous soil.

Contemporary Archaeology as a Framework for Investigating the Impact of Disposable Plastic Bags on Environmental Pollution in Galápagos

This paper presents contemporary archaeology as a novel framework for investigating environmental pollution, specifically marine pollution, which comprises a global “toxic assemblage” of an estimated 5.25 trillion plastic artefacts. The ideas behind this approach were developed in 2018 during a multidisciplinary “Science to Solutions” workshop held in Galápagos (Ecuador), led by the Galápagos National Park and Galapagos Conservation Trust and hosted by the Galapagos Science Center and the Charles Darwin Research Station. These ideas informed two studies which began separately but became increasingly aligned within a contemporary archaeology framework, in effect tackling the same problem from two very different perspectives: the first involving surface mapping, designed to inform an understanding of how plastic items enter the environment, including the marine environment, in the first place; and the second comprising utilization-focused evaluation, designed to better understand people’s behaviours and aspirations. Both of the studies centred on a specific and ubiquitous type of item or artefact: the disposable plastic bag. We conclude that the two studies together demonstrate that, through giving primacy to material culture, contemporary archaeology can (1) serve as a cross-disciplinary framework for tackling environmental pollution, and (2) provide a basis for shaping practice and informing policy.

Application of Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy on Plastics in Cultural Heritage Collections: A Comparative Assessment of Two Portable Mid-Fourier Transform Infrared Reflection Devices.

Plastics have been increasingly used to create modern and contemporary art and design, and nowadays, museum collections hold numerous objects completely or partially made of plastics. However, the preservation of these materials is still a challenging task in heritage conservation, especially because some plastics show signs of degradation shortly after their production. In addition, different degradation mechanisms can often take place depending on the plastic composition and appropriate environmental and packaging conditions should be adopted. Therefore, methods for in situ and rapid characterization of plastic artifacts' composition are greatly needed to outline proper conservation strategies. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, such as attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), is a well-established method for polymeric material analysis. However, ATR FT-IR requires an intimate contact with the object, which makes its application less appropriate for the in situ investigation of fragile or brittle degraded plastic objects. Mid-FT-IR reflectance spectroscopy may represent a valid alternative as it allows in situ measurements with minimum or even no contact, and IR data can be acquired rapidly. On the other hand, spectral interpretation of reflectance spectra is usually difficult as IR bands may appear distorted with significant changes in band maximum, shape, and relative intensity, depending on the optical properties and surface texture of the material analyzed. Presently, mid-FT-IR reflection devices working in external reflection (ER FT-IR) and diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) modes have been used in cultural heritage research studies. As the collected vibrational information depends on the optical layout of the measuring system, differences between ER FT-IR and DRIFT spectra are thus expected when the same polymer is analyzed. So far, ER FT-IR and DRIFT spectroscopy have been individually explored for the identification of plastic objects, but comparative studies between the application of two reflectance FT-IR modes have not been presented yet. In this work, the use of two portable FT-IR spectrometers equipped with ER FT-IR and DRIFTS modes were compared for plastics identification purposes for the first time. Both references of polymeric materials and historical plastic objects (from a Portuguese private collection) were studied and the differences between ER FT-IR and DRIFT spectra were discussed. The spectra features were examined considering the two different optical geometries and analytes' properties. This new insight can support a better understanding of both vibrational information acquired and practical aspects in the application of the ER FT-IR and DRIFTS in plastic analysis.

Plastic toy soldiers, a lost battle? – an analytical perspective

The conservation and preservation of museum collections requires a detailed understanding of their constituent materials which are often natural, synthetic or semi-synthetic polymers. The use of a wide variety of instrumental techniques can give an extraordinary amount of quality information, by delivering complementary data regarding composition and structure. This study was triggered by the Oporto Military Museum (Museu Militar do Porto) conservators who observed that a set of plastic toy soldiers dating back to the middle of the 20th century from the museum exhibition started to present severe and accelerated degradation process. With this is mind, the authors envisaged a methodology for the characterisation of these soldier toys that compromised elemental, structural and morphologic analysis, to allow the identification of polymers, their additives, and the degradation products. The methodology comprised stereoscopic microscopy and VP-SEM-EDS to recognize the micromorphology, ATR-FTIR to identify the polymer, 1H and 13C NMR to identify their additives, and micro-XRD to identify degradation products with a crystal structure. With this complementary analytical approach the composition of the toy soldiers was identified as being made of cellulose acetate plastic with triphenyl phosphate and dimethyl phthalate as major additives, and crystallyne efflorescence of triphenyl phosphate were identified as a degradation product. This methodology shows to be very adequate for a detailed characterization of plastic artefacts in museum environments.

Publisher’s note: Electrochemical monitoring of plastic artefacts degradation

"Publisher’s note: Electrochemical monitoring of plastic artefacts degradation." Natural Product Research, 34(19), p. 2867

Shelfie

Self-monitoring devices are becoming increasingly popular in the support of physical activity experiences. These devices mostly represent on-screen data using numbers and graphs and in doing so, they may miss multi-sensorial methods for engaging with data. Embracing the opportunity for pleasurable interactions with one's own data through the use of different materials and digital fabrication technology, we designed and studied three systems that turn this data into 3D-printed plastic artifacts, sports drinks, and 3D-printed chocolate treats. We utilize the insights gained from associated studies, related literature, and our experiences in designing these systems to develop a conceptual framework, “ Shelfie. ” The “ Shelfie ” framework has 13 cards that convey key themes for creating material representations of physical activity data. Through this framework, we present a conceptual understanding of relationships between material representation and physical activity data and contribute guidelines to the design of meaningful material representations of physical activity data.

Investigating the impact of cleaning treatments on polystyrene using SEM, AFM and ToF\u2013SIMS

Concerns about the stability of plastic artefacts are commonly expressed when discussing the conservation of modern materials. One of the factors affecting the degradation of plastics is the presence of soil, degradation products and other contaminants on the surface. Cleaning treatments for plastic artefacts may therefore increase their stability as well as improving their visual appearance. While past studies have shown that dry, aqueous and solvent cleaning can visibly damage a plastic surface, the chemical and physical changes occurring to the surface at the micro-scale have been largely unexplored. In this work time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS) has been used in conjunction with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the effect of cleaning treatments on the surface of sheet polystyrene. Chemometric analysis of the ToF–SIMS data reveals the presence of surfactant residues and contamination from cleaning agents while physical damage in the form of scratching has been characterised using AFM and SEM. It is anticipated such work will assist in informing future conservation treatments for plastics.

Electrochemical monitoring of plastic artefacts degradation

Plastic materials are being used in art: in Italy, for instance, two Art Museums are already presenting only plastic artefacts. As organic matter, plastic suffers degradation and chemical and biological attacks beyond obvious ageing process. Here, we propose an electrochemical approach aiming at the evaluation of the conditions of a plastic object, so giving the opportunity of protection and conservation strategies. The method is very cheap, easy to be handled and absolutely non-invasive, and is based on the monitoring of acidity emitted by a degrading plastic basing on corrosion potential of target metals acting as sensors.

Non-invasive methodology for the identification of plastic pieces in museum environment — a novel approach

The preservation of modern and contemporary art and costume collections in museums requires a complete understanding of their constituent materials which are often synthetic or semi-synthetic polymers. An extraordinary amount of quality information can be gained from instrumental techniques, but some of them have the disadvantage of being destructive.This paper presents a new totally integrated non-invasive methodology, for the identification of polymers and their additives, on plastic artefacts in museums. NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and in-situ FTIR-ATR (attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy) combination allowed the full characterization of the structure of these materials and correct identification of each one. The NMR technique applied to leached surface exudates identified unequivocally a great number of additives, exceeding the Py–GC–MS analysis of micro-fragments in number and efficiency. Additionally, in-situ FTIR-ATR provided exactly the same information of the destructive μ-FTIR about the polymer structure and confirmed the presence of some additives.Eight costume pieces (cosmetic boxes and purses), dating to the beginning of the 20th century and belonging to the Portuguese National Museum of Costume and Fashion, were correctly identified with this new integrated methodology, as being made of plastics derived from cellulose acetate or cellulose nitrate polymers, contradicting the initial information that these pieces were made of Bakelite. The identification of a surprisingly large number of different additives forms an added value of this methodology and opens a perspective of a quick and better characterization of plastic artefacts in museum environments.

Non-invasive identification of plastic materials in museum collections with portable FTIR reflectance spectroscopy: Reference database and practical applications

In this work, portable Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) reflectance spectroscopy was used for the contactless, non-invasive, and in situ analysis of historic plastics. For the first time, this paper presents the complete database of polymer spectra of a set of reference materials widely used in the cultural heritage community. Over 100 samples from the ResinKitTM and SamCo (Popart Project) collections, which also include samples such as foams, thin films, dark plastics, and other challenging materials, were analyzed. The extensive database of spectral signatures that was acquired for this work represented the departure point for a field study aiming at the identification of the components of a variety of plastic artifacts in the collections of Architecture and Design and Contemporary Art of the Art Institute di Chicago. Reflectance FTIR spectroscopy was confirmed in situ to be a fast and effective method of identification of historic plastics. In some cases, in addition to the main polymers, it was also possible to identify additives in plastic blends, such as plasticizers and inorganic fillers.

Comparative Study of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Transmission, Attenuated Total Reflection, and Total Reflection Modes for the Analysis of Plastics in the Cultural Heritage Field

This study was completed within the framework of two research projects dealing with the conservation of contemporary artworks. The first is the Seventh Framework Project (FP7) of the European Union, Preservation of Plastic ARTefacts in Museum Collections (POPART), spanning years 2008-2012, and the second is the Italian project funded by the Tuscan Region, Preventive Conservation of Contemporary Art (Conservazione Preventiva dell'Arte Contemporanea (COPAC)), spanning 2011-2013. Both of these programs pointed out the great importance of having noninvasive and portable analytical techniques that can be used to investigate and characterize modern and contemporary artworks, especially those consisting of synthetic polymers. Indeed, despite the extensive presence of plastics in museum collections, there is still a lack of analytical tools for identifying, characterizing, and setting up adequate conservation strategies for these materials. In this work, the potentials of in situ and noninvasive Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, implemented by means of portable devices that operate in reflection mode, are investigated with a view to applying the results in large-scale surveys of plastic objects in museums. To this end, an essential prerequisite are the reliability of spectral data acquired in situ and the availability of spectral databases acquired from reference materials. A collection of polymeric samples, which are available commercially as ResinKit, was analyzed to create a reference spectral archive. All the spectra were recorded using three FT-IR configurations: transmission (trans), attenuated total reflection (ATR), and total reflection (TR). A comparative evaluation of the data acquired using the three instrumental configurations is presented, together with an evaluation of the similarity percentages and a discussion of the critical cases.

플라스틱 작품의 보존 가치 및 세척제와 접착제의 효능 평가

최근 현대 예술 작품 재료로 널리 쓰이고 있는 플라스틱은 온, 습도 및 자외선 등 다양한 환경 요인에 노출되어 심각한 손상이 진행되고 있다. 특히 플라스틱은 초기 열화 속도가 매우 빠르고 열화가 시작되면 본래의 모습으로 되돌아갈 수 없음에 따라 플라스틱 작품 보존에 대한 종합적인 연구는 매우 중요하나 국내에서는 현재까지 이에 대한 연구 사례가 많지 않다. 이에 본 연구는 국외의 플라스틱 작품의 가치 상승 현황과 영국과 프랑스 등에서 현재 수행되고 있는 과학적 동정 기술 및 세척 방법에 대하여 조사하였다. 또한 PVC, PE, PP, PS, PU 총 5 종의 표준 플라스틱 시편을 제작하여 증류수, 에탄올, 아세톤, 고무 지우개의 4 종에 대한 세척력과 시아노아크릴레이트, 에폭시, 아크릴, 크로로프렌 고무계의 접착제 4 종을 실험하였다. 그 결과 세척제는 에탄올과 아세톤의 효능이 가장 뛰어났으며, 접착제는 시아노아크릴레이트 계와 에폭시 계가 인공 열화 이후에도 효능과 안정성이 뛰어난 것을 확인하였다. 이상의 연구는 향후 우리나라 플라스틱 보존을 위한 기초 연구 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

Biomass in a petrochemical world

The world's increasingly voracious appetite for fossil fuels is driven by fast-growing populations and ever-rising aspirations for the lifestyles and standard of living exemplified in the developed world. Forecasts for higher electricity consumption, more comfortable living environments (via heating or cooling) and greater demand for transport fuels are well known. Similar growth in demand is projected for petrochemical-based products in the form of man-made fibres for clothing, ubiquitous plastic artefacts, cosmetics, etc. All drawing upon the same finite oil, gas and coal feedstocks. Biomass can, in principle, substitute for all of these feedstocks. Although ultimately finite, biomass resources can be expanded and renewed if this is a societal priority. This paper examines the projected growth of an energy-intensive international petrochemicals industry, considers its demand for both utilities and feedstocks, and considers the extent to which biomass can substitute for fossil fuels. The scope of this study includes biomass component extraction, direct chemical conversion, thermochemical conversion and biochemical conversion. Noting that the petrochemicals industry consumes around 10 per cent of the world's fossil fuels as feedstocks and almost as much again in utilities, various strategies for addressing future demand are considered. The need for long-term infrastructure and logistics planning is highlighted.

Bilan sur la conservation des objets en matières plastiques : étude de trois collections

Un des nombreux objectifs du programme POPART était de donner une méthode d’évaluation, un vocabulaire descriptif pour la dégradation des matières plastiques et d’identifier les marqueurs de dégradation. Nous avons élaboré en groupe un glossaire descriptif des dégradations et une hiérarchisation des niveaux de dégradation. Une base de données a permis de collecter les informations puis de les exploiter quantitativement. Ces outils ont servi à évaluer des biens composés de plastiques directement dans les collections du musée d’Art moderne et d’Art contemporain de Nice, du musée d’Art moderne de Saint-Étienne et du musée Galliera, musée de la Mode et du Textile de la Ville de Paris. Cet article propose une approche critique de la méthode et donne le bilan des observations faites sur les collections étudiées.

Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy as a non-invasive tool for investigating plastics degradation in contemporary art collections: A methodological study on an expanded polystyrene artwork

Fibre Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) is a well-established technique, widely used in the conservation field for in situ investigations and non-invasive diagnostics on traditional artworks. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge on the use of this technique for investigating modern artists materials used in contemporary artworks. The present study, carried out within the wider framework of the EC funded Project “POPART” (Preservation of Plastic ARTefacts in museum collections”), was aimed at investigating the possibility of extending the applications of FORS to synthetic polymers, and proposing this technique as new non-invasive analytical tool for diagnostics on plastic artworks in museum collections. Thus, a real case was selected from the permanent collection of the Conteporary Art Centre “Luigi Pecci” (Prato, Italy). The artwork, created in 1990 by the artist Stefano Arienti, was entirely constituted of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and it showed diffused signs of degradation. The need of singling out the main causes of deterioration in order to prevent further damages was evident. An in situ FORS measurements campaign was performed with the aim of gaining in-depth information about its conservation state and identifying the main agents responsible for the observed degradation. Thanks to the non-invasivity of the technique an extensive spectroscopic characterisation of different areas of the EPS surface could be performed and the spectral data were exploited to build a map of the degraded areas of the artwork. Data acquired in field were compared with those obtained from laboratory test performed on artificially aged EPS samples. These results helped in ascertaining the detrimental actions of the light sources used to back illuminate the artwork. In particular, in this case FORS proved to be effective in detecting EPS alterations before the chromatic effects became visually evident. These results suggested that FORS may be considered as a good candidate to be used for non-invasive investigations also on some modern materials and contemporary artworks. The research was completed with an interview to the artist Stefano Arienti, whose point of view was constructively integrated with the scientific results obtained. This emphasized the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the solution of conservative problem in the field of contemporary art.