Evaluation of the Efficiency of traditional chitosan, nano chitosan and chitosan nanocomposites for consolidating aged papyrus paper

Abstract

Purpose Paper aims to evaluate the efficiency of traditional chitosan, nano chitosan, and chitosan nanocomposites for consolidating aged papyrus samples. Cellulose-based materials, such as papyrus sheets and paper, which are the most common types of writing supports for works of art in many museums and archive. They are subjected to different types of deterioration factors that may lead to many conservation problems. Consolidation treatment is one of the most common conservation treatments, which should have perform after much testing to select the appropriate consolidants. Design/methodology/approach This research paper aims to evaluate the resistance of traditional chitosan, nanochitosan and chitosan/zinc oxide nanocomposite as an eco-friendly papyrus strengthening. Untreated and treated papyrus was thermally aged and characterized via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Antimicrobial activity of the papyrus specimens was also determined against four tested pathogenic bacteria by disc diffusion method: MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Findings The results revealed that chitosan nanocomposite showed a remarkable enhancement of papyrus tensile properties and presence of ZnO prevents the effects of biodeterioration. Originality/value Zinc oxide nanoparticles enhance the optical properties and increase the chemical reactions between the consolidating material and the treated papyrus.

Agar and Chitosan Hydrogels’ Design for Metal-Uptaking Treatments

“…It is naturally derived from crustaceans or fungi and has been praised in past decades, especially in the medical field or for heavy metal remediation [20,21]. Recently, applications in cultural heritage have been found for chitosan due to its protective assets, which include operating as coating for copper and silver [22][23][24] and consolidating anti-microbial agents on various substrates (i.e., paper, paintings, textiles, metals, wood) [25][26][27][28][29][30]. Chitosan has been used in the form of gel film or as nanoparticles or nanocomposites with ZnO [26,31].…”

“…Recently, applications in cultural heritage have been found for chitosan due to its protective assets, which include operating as coating for copper and silver [22][23][24] and consolidating anti-microbial agents on various substrates (i.e., paper, paintings, textiles, metals, wood) [25][26][27][28][29][30]. Chitosan has been used in the form of gel film or as nanoparticles or nanocomposites with ZnO [26,31]. To the best of our knowledge, the use of chitosan as a cleaning gel in the cultural heritage conservation field has been reported only once, for the removal of manganese stains on glass [32].…”