Multi-function Gellan Gum Hydrogel for Heritage Paper Cleaning

Rushdy, Asmaa M.; Wahbab, Wafika N.; Dacrory, Sawsan; Kamel, Samir

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2023.230569.8460

Multi-function Gellan Gum Hydrogel for Heritage Paper Cleaning

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Manuscripts Department, Islamic Art Museum, Cairo, Egypt

² Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

³ Cellulose and Paper Department, National Research Center, El Bohooth St., Dokki, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2023.230569.8460

Abstract

Treatment of historical paper with gels has become a familiar new method used in many conservation labs in museums, libraries, and archives. So, this study evaluates gellan gum with and without loading multifunction materials such as Ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), sodium dithionite, and nano calcium carbonate. Investigation and analysis were used to characterize the hydrogels such as swelling, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDX analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and attenuated total reflection analysis (ATR). The historical papers were treated with hydrogels, and photography and digital microscope investigations were used to detect the change in the surface. Also, tensile strength, pH measurements, ATR analysis, and color change of the historical paper before and after treatment by hydrogels were studied. It was found that the multifunction gellan gum hydrogels improved the mechanical and chemical properties of the historical paper.

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