Durability of Biodegradable Polymers for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

The use of polymers for conservation of cultural heritage is related to the possibility to slow down or stop natural deterioration which, in many cases, corresponds to stopping the entrance of liquid water and to favor spontaneous water vapor removal. Unfortunately, hydrophobicity is generally favor...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in materials 2019-06, Vol.6
Main Authors: Mistretta, Maria C., La Mantia, Francesco P., Titone, Vincenzo, Megna, Bartolomeo, Botta, Luigi, Morreale, Marco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biodegradable polymers
conservation
cultural heritage
durability
mechanical properties
permeability
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The use of polymers for conservation of cultural heritage is related to the possibility to slow down or stop natural deterioration which, in many cases, corresponds to stopping the entrance of liquid water and to favor spontaneous water vapor removal. Unfortunately, hydrophobicity is generally favored by surface roughness and thus competitive with transparency. It is therefore important to find an optimal balance hydrophobicity, transparency and durability (especially to photooxidation). However, polymers typically used for applications in this field come from non-renewable resources and are not biodegradable. In this work, the mechanical, structural, and optical properties of PLA, PBAT, and a PBAT/PLA blends, as well as surface properties and water vapor permeability, were investigated before and after exposure to UV irradiation, in order to evaluate their durability and suitability for conservation of cultural heritage.
ISSN:2296-8016
2296-8016
DOI:10.3389/fmats.2019.00151