Modifications of the mesoscopic structure of cellulose in paper degradation.
Paper is the main component of a huge quantity of cultural heritage. It is primarily composed of cellulose that undergoes significant degradation with the passage of time. By using small angle neutron scattering (SANS), we investigated cellulose's supramolecular structure, which allows access to degradation agents, in ancient and modern samples. For the first time, SANS data were interpreted in terms of water-filled pores, with their sizes increasing from 1.61 nm up to 1.97 nm in natural and artificially aged papers. The protective effect of gelatine sizing was also observed.
Missori
Mauro
M
Istituto Centrale per la Patologia del Libro, Ministero per i Beni e le Attivitá Culturali, via Milano 76, I-00184 Rome, Italy. mauro.missori@beniculturali.it
Mondelli
Claudia
C
De Spirito
Marco
M
Castellano
Carlo
C
Bicchieri
Marina
M
Schweins
Ralf
R
Arcovito
Giuseppe
G
Papi
Massimiliano
M
Castellano
Agostina Congiu
AC
D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D033363:Neutron Diffraction; D010209:Paper; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle
D002482:Cellulose