La chimica dei nanocomposti e la loro applicazione al restauro dei manoscritti

Cellulose-based artifacts are susceptible to fast degradation due to the presence of detrimental components and to the action of environmental pollutants. As a result, the acidity of pristine material increases, promoting the acid-catalysed depolymerisation of cellulose that alters the mechanical properties of paper. In this paper, the use of innovative dispersions of alkaline earth metal hydroxide nanoparticles will be discussed as a method of counteracting the degradation of paper. The application of the most recent formulations of nanoparticles dispersions for the deacidification of artworks will be highlighted. Finally, the usage of innovative gel formulations for the cleaning of cellulose-based artworks will be discussed

Time variations of the air quality in reference sites of an urban and industrial environment (province of Trieste)

The air quality in Province of Trieste has been considered in terms of minor pollutant species as nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide: these species are correlated to motor vehicle traffic and to heating system activities, and their distribution can provide information on both urban and industrial factors affecting the air quality. Air pollutant concentration trends make it possible to distinguish three types of areas: (i) the town-centre' areas display nitrogen oxide contents higher than sulphur dioxide; (ii) the industrial' areas have instead sulphur dioxide contents similar or higher than nitrogen oxides; (iii) the peripheral ones, less affected by urban traffic and industrial sources, display the lowest pollutant contents. Pollutant distribution is affected by winds. Industrial source-points of sulphur dioxide were detected. In town centre, sulphur dioxide has its minimum in summer, when home heating systems stop: this decrease is not observed in sites nearby industrial areas

Effetti del rame sulla carta. Il caso paticolare della degradazione di un libro sardo del settecento

While the degrading effects of iron sulphate (green vitriol) on paper documents have been the subject of several archaeometric studies, owing to its presence in almost all the ancient ink recipes, much less is known about the degradation brought about by copper sulphate. The presence of this inorganic compound (blue vitriol) is generally associated with iron, making it difficult to evaluate its specific degradation path. In this paper we present the results of the FTIR analysis of a brittle and discoloured XVIII Century book which shows a strong copper-induced degradation. As in the case of iron, copper produces a relevant amount of oxalates at the expense of amorphous regions of cellulose and leaves several carboxyl groups on the remainder crystalline fraction