Safe Storage? An Assessment of Polyethylene for the Storage of Heritage Objects

IF 0.8 4区化学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Studies in Conservation Pub Date : 2022-07-04 DOI:10.1080/00393630.2022.2092702

B. Stuart, Sharon Wong, R. Goodall, Alice Beale, Chen Chau Chu, P. Nel, Holly Amin-Jones, Paul Thomas

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sealable polyethylene bags are widely used to protect and store heritage items. While polyethylene is regarded as a stable material, consideration should be given to potential chemical interactions between the polymer and stored objects. The presence of additives used in manufactured polyethylene storage materials should also be considered when they are used in contact with objects. For this study, infrared spectroscopy has been successfully used to identify storage materials and associated additives, as well as to characterise the chemical changes that they undergo. Three case studies are presented that demonstrate that polyethylene bags can undergo chemical changes when exposed to the typical storage conditions used for heritage objects. The storage of degrading cellulose nitrate items shows that polyethylene undergoes oxidation when exposed to the cellulose nitrate degradation products and is identified as detrimental to long term storage viability of the polyethylene. An investigation of the yellow discolouration of polyethylene bags suggests that the oxidation of antioxidant additives, rather than the polyethylene, is responsible for the colour change. It is also demonstrated that polyethylene bags used in a procedure for the consolidation of archaeological ceramics show an interaction between the adhesive solvent employed and the bag additives.

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安全存储？聚乙烯用于文物存储的评估

摘要可密封聚乙烯袋被广泛用于保护和储存文物。虽然聚乙烯被认为是一种稳定的材料，但应考虑聚合物和储存物体之间的潜在化学相互作用。当与物体接触使用时，还应考虑制造的聚乙烯储存材料中使用的添加剂的存在。在这项研究中，红外光谱已成功用于识别储存材料和相关添加剂，以及表征它们所经历的化学变化。三个案例研究表明，当聚乙烯袋暴露在用于文物的典型储存条件下时，会发生化学变化。降解硝酸纤维素物品的储存表明，聚乙烯在暴露于硝酸纤维素降解产物时会发生氧化，并被确定为对聚乙烯的长期储存能力有害。对聚乙烯袋黄色变色的调查表明，造成颜色变化的是抗氧化添加剂的氧化，而不是聚乙烯。还证明了在考古陶瓷固结过程中使用的聚乙烯袋显示出所使用的粘合剂溶剂和袋添加剂之间的相互作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Studies in Conservation 化学-分析化学

CiteScore

1.80

自引率

12.50%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Studies in Conservation is the premier international peer-reviewed journal for the conservation of historic and artistic works. The intended readership includes the conservation professional in the broadest sense of the term: practising conservators of all types of object, conservation, heritage and museum scientists, collection or conservation managers, teachers and students of conservation, and academic researchers in the subject areas of arts, archaeology, the built heritage, materials history, art technological research and material culture. Studies in Conservation publishes original work on a range of subjects including, but not limited to, examination methods for works of art, new research in the analysis of artistic materials, mechanisms of deterioration, advances in conservation practice, novel methods of treatment, conservation issues in display and storage, preventive conservation, issues of collection care, conservation history and ethics, and the history of materials and technological processes. Scientific content is not necessary, and the editors encourage the submission of practical articles, review papers, position papers on best practice and the philosophy and ethics of collecting and preservation, to help maintain the traditional balance of the journal. Whatever the subject matter, accounts of routine procedures are not accepted, except where these lead to results that are sufficiently novel and/or significant to be of general interest.