Skip to main content

Analytical characterization of polymers used in conservation and restoration by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry volume 395, pages 2081–2096 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

In the last few decades many new polymers have been synthesized that are now being used in cultural heritage conservation. The physical and chemical properties and the long-term behaviors of these new polymers are determined by the chemical composition of the starting materials used in their synthesis along with the nature of the substances added to facilitate their production. The practical applications of these polymers depend on their composition and form (foam, film, sheets, pressure-sensitive adhesives, heat-seal adhesives, etc.). Some materials are used in restoration works and others for the exhibition, storage and transport of works of art. In all cases, it is absolutely necessary to know their compositions. Furthermore, many different materials that are manufactured for other objectives are also used for conservation and restoration. The technical information about the materials provided by the manufacturer is usually incomplete, so it is necessary to analytically characterize such materials. FTIR spectrometry is widely used for polymer identification, and, more recently, ATR–FTIR has been shown to give excellent results. This paper reports the ATR-FTIR analysis of samples of polymeric materials used in the conservation of artworks. These samples were examined directly in the solid material without sample preparation.

 

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

References

  1. Horie CV (1994) Materials for conservation. Organic consolidants, adhesives and coatings. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hatchfield PB (2002) Pollutants in the museum environment. Archetype, London

  3. Rotaeche M (2007) Transporte. Depósito y Manipulación de Obras de Arte, Síntesis, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  4. Nicholson JW (1997) The chemistry of polymers, 2nd edn. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge

  5. Billmeyer FW (2007) Textbook of polymer science, 3rd edn. Wiley India, New Delhi

  6. Carraher CE (2000) Polymer chemistry. Marcel Dekker, New York

  7. Harper CA (ed) (2000) Modern plastics handbook. McGraw-Hill, New York

  8. Murphy J (2001) Additives for plastics handbook. Elsevier, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  9. Lokensgard E (2009) Industrial plastics: theory and applications, 5th edn. Delmar, New York

  10. Titow W (1998) Technological dictionary of plastic materials. Elsevier, Oxford

  11. Burker J (1992) Vapor barrier films. WAAC Newslett 14(2):13–17. http://cool-palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn14/wn14-2/wn14-204.html. Accessed 9 June 2009

    Google Scholar 

  12. Blank S (1990) An introduction to plastics and rubbers in collections. Stud Conserv 35:53–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Allen NS, Edge M, Horie CV (eds) (1992) Polymers in conservation. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  14. Quye A, Williamson C (eds) (1999) Plastics: collecting and conserving. NMS, Edinburgh

  15. Shashoua Y (2008) Conservation of plastics, materials science, degradation and preservation. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  16. Selwitz C (1988) Cellulose nitrate in conservation. The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles

  17. Shashoua Y, Bradley SM, Daniels VD (1992) Degradation of cellulose nitrate adhesives. Stud Conserv 37:113–119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Matsumura M, Eastop D, Gill K (2002) Monitoring emissions from cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate costume accessories: an evaluation of pH indicator dyes on paper, cotton tape and cotton threads. Conservator 26:57–69

    Google Scholar 

  19. Bigourdan JL (2005) In: Frey F, Buckley R (eds) Proceedings of Archiving 2005. Society for Imaging Science & Technology, Springfield, pp. 60–66

  20. Walsh B (2005) Preservation of negatives at the British Columbia Archives. Top Photogr Preserve 11:97–103

    Google Scholar 

  21. Jonge P, Van Oosten T, Keune P, Lorne A (2005) In: Hummelen IJ, Sillé D (eds) Modern art: who cares? An interdisciplinary research project and an international symposium on the conservation of modern and contemporary art. Archetype, London, pp 136–148

  22. Korenberg C (2006) Corrosion on metallic tokens stored in polyurethane foam. Stud Conserv 51:1–10

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Shashoua Y, Brynjolf K, Béringuer O (2008) In: Bridgland J (ed) Preprints of the 15th Triennial Conference CC-ICOM Committee for Conservation. ICOM-CC, Rome, pp. 702–708

  24. Werner A (1981) Synthetic materials in art conservation. J Chem Educ 58:321

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Brommelle NS, Pye E, Smith P, Thomson (eds) (1984) Preprints of the adhesives and consolidants. Contributions to the IIC Congress (Paris). International Institute for Conservation, London

  26. Haupt VP (1985) Produits synthetiques pour la conservation et la restauration des oeuvres d’art. SCR, Bern

  27. Grattan DV (ed) (1993) Saving the twentieth century: the consevation of modern materials. Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa

  28. Van Oosten T, Shashoua Y, Waentig F (eds) (2001) Plastics in art: history, technology, preservation. Proc Interim Meeting of the ICOM-CC Modern Materials Working Group, Cologne, Germany, 12–14 March 2001

  29. Roy A, Smith P (2004) Modern art. New museums. Preprints of the Contributions to the IIC Congress (Bilbao). International Institute for Conservation, London

  30. Thomas UJ, Learner S (2004) Analysis of modern paints. The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

  31. Stuart B (2002) Polymer analysis. Wiley, Chichester

  32. Stuart B (2007) Analytical techniques in materials conservation. Wiley, Chichester

  33. Learner T (2001) The analysis of synthetic paints by pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). Stud Conserv 46:225–241

    Google Scholar 

  34. Boon JJ, Learner TJS (2002) Analytical mass spectrometry of artist’s acrylic emulsion paints by direct temperature resolved mass spectrometry and laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry. J Anal Appl Pyrolysis 64:327–344

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Chiantore O, Scalarone D, Learner T (2003) Characterization of artist’s acrylic emulsion paints. Int J Polym Anal Charact 8:67–82

    Google Scholar 

  36. Chalmers J (2000) In: Meyers RA (ed) Encyclopedia of analytical chemistry, vol. 9. Wiley, Chichester, pp 7702–7759

  37. Socrates G (2001) Infrared and Raman characteristic group frequencies. Tables and charts, 3rd edn. Wiley, Chichester

  38. IRUG (2007) Infrared and Raman users group. http://www.iurg.org. Accessed 8 June 2009

  39. Derrick MR, Stulik D, Landry JM (1999) Infrared spectroscopy in conservation science. Scientific tools for conservation. The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles

  40. Walsh B (1995) Identification of cellulose nitrate and acetate negatives by FTIR spectroscopy. Top Photogr Preserve 6:80–97

    Google Scholar 

  41. Doménech-Carbó MT, Doménech-Carbó A, Gimeno Adelantado JV, Boch-Reig F (2001) Identification of synthetic resins used in works of art by Fourier transform infrared. Appl Spectrosc 55(12):1590–1602

    Google Scholar 

  42. Ragauskiene D, Niaura G, Matulionis E, Makuska R (2006) Long-term accelerated ageing of an acrylic adhesives used as a support for museum textiles. Stud Conserv 51:57–68

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Doménech-Carbó MT, Yusá-Marco DJ, Bitossi G, Silva MF, Mas-Barberá X, Osete-Cortina L (2008) Study of ageing of ketone resins used as picture varnishes by FTIR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy X-ray microanalysis. Anal Bioanal Chem 391:1351–1359

    Google Scholar 

  44. Paris C, Lecomte S, Coupry C (2005) ATR-FTIR spectroscopy as a way to identify natural protein-based materials, tortoiseshell and horn, from their protein-based imitation, galalith. Spectrochim Acta Part A 62:532–538

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Maddams WF (1994) A review of Fourier transform Raman spectroscopic studies of polymers. Spectrochim Acta Part A 50:1967–1986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Paris C, Coupry C (2005) Fourier transform Raman spectroscopic study of the first cellulose-based artificial materials in heritage. J Raman Spectros 36:77–82

    Google Scholar 

  47. Pastor JM, Jawhari T, Merino JC (2003) Caracterización de materiales poliméricos mediante la utilización de la micro espectroscopia vibracional. Rev Iberoam Polímeros 4:3

    Google Scholar 

  48. CAMEO (2000) Conservation and art encyclopedia online. http://cameo.mfa.org. Accessed 9 June 2009

  49. Arrueabarrena de Báez M, Hendra PJ, Judkins M (1995) The Raman spectra of oriented isotactic polypropylene. Spectrochim Acta Part A 51:2117–2124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Kawasaki A, Furukawa J, Tsuruta T, Wasai G, Makimoto T (1961) Infrared spectra of poly(butyl) acrylates. Makromol Chem 49(1):76–111

    Google Scholar 

  51. Skeist I (1990) Handbook of adhesives. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York

    Google Scholar 

  52. Gerger G (1984) In: Brommelle NS, Pye E, Smith P, Thomson K (eds) Adhesives and consolidants. Preprints of the contributions to the IIC congress (Paris). International Institute for Conservation, London

    Google Scholar 

  53. Mills J, White R (1996) The organic chemistry of museum objects. Butterworth Heinemann, London

  54. Roff WJ, Scott JR (1971) Fibres, films, plastics and rubbers. Butterworth, London

    Google Scholar 

  55. Halim Hamid S (2000) Handbook of polymer degradation. Marcel Dekker, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Project 252/2008 supported by DG BBAA del Ministerio de Cultura and Project CCG07-UCM/MAT-3002 (IV PRICIT CAM). The authors are very grateful to Pilar Borrego, Carmen Ahedo and Veronica Burguer for the information they provided.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Universidad Complutense-Instituto de Patrimonio Cultural de España, Facultad de Bellas Artes. Dept. Pintura-Restauración C/Greco 2, Madrid, 28040, Spain

    Ruth Chércoles Asensio

  2. Universidad Complutense, Facultad de Bellas Artes. Dept. Pintura-Restauración C/Greco 2, Madrid, 28040, Spain

    Margarita San Andrés Moya & José Manuel de la Roja

  3. Instituto de Patrimonio Cultural de España, Laboratorio, C/Greco 4, Madrid, 28040, Spain

    Marisa Gómez

Authors
  1. Ruth Chércoles Asensio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Margarita San Andrés Moya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. José Manuel de la Roja
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marisa Gómez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ruth Chércoles Asensio or Margarita San Andrés Moya.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chércoles Asensio, R., San Andrés Moya, M., de la Roja, J.M. et al. Analytical characterization of polymers used in conservation and restoration by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Anal Bioanal Chem 395, 2081–2096 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-3201-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-3201-2

Keywords

  • Polymers
  • ATR-FTIR
  • Synthetic materials
  • Restoration and conservation of cultural heritage