From Nanoparticles to Gels: A Breakthrough in Art Conservation Science

Abstract

Cultural heritage is a crucial resource to increase our society's resilience. However, degradation processes, enhanced by environmental and anthropic risks, inevitably affect works of art, hindering their accessibility and socioeconomic value. In response, interfacial and colloidal chemistry has proposed valuable solutions over the past decades, overcoming the limitations of traditional restoration materials and granting cost-and time-effective remedial conservation of the endangered artifacts. Ranging from inorganic nanoparticles to hybrid composites and soft condensed matter (gels, microemulsions), a wide palette of colloidal systems has been made available to conservators worldwide, targeting the consolidation, cleaning, and protection of works of art. The effectiveness and versatility of the proposed solutions allow the safe and effective treatment of masterpieces belonging to different cultural and artistic productions, spanning from classic ages to the Renaissance and modern/contemporary art. Despite these advancements, the formulation of materials for the preservation of cultural heritage is still an open, exciting field, where recent requirements include coping with the imperatives of the Green Deal to foster the production of sustainable, low-toxicity, and environmentally friendly systems. This review gives a critical overview starting from pioneering works up to the latest advancements in colloidal systems for art conservation, a challenging topic where effective solutions can be transversal to multiple sectors even beyond cultural heritage preservation, from the pharmaceutical and food industry, to cosmetics, tissue engineering, and detergency.

Peptide Stereochemistry Effects from pKa-Shift to Gold Nanoparticle Templating in a Supramolecular Hydrogel

“…In conclusion, this work allows extension of self-assembly rules for heterochiral minimalistic peptides to sequences with hydrophilic side-chains, as often found in bioactive motifs. Understanding how to modulate the p K a values of ionizable groups may enable the design of self-assembling short motifs into bioactive hydrogels. − Furthermore, we studied stereochemical effects on AuNP formation and stabilization in a nanocomposite and provided insights into the redox reaction mechanism and products with Asp playing an elected role. Amino acids and their amphiphilic derivatives are raising considerable interest for the templation of gold chiral nanostructures, with elegant examples exploiting cysteine as ligand being reported by Nam’s and Liz-Marzan’s groups.…”

“…In particular, gels are soft materials that are extremely versatile, for they can adapt and respond to external stimuli, while providing confined media for chemical reactions to occur . Applications are vast, spanning from biomedical uses and bioelectronics, to art conservation, anti-ice coatings, and environmental remediation . A versatile class of gels comprises supramolecular gels that are formed by weak interactions between small-molecular-weight gelators, which can easily be assembled and disassembled on demand .…”

A Chemistry Laboratory Miniature Model: A Window to Science

“…This includes the development of nanoparticles, polymers, alloys, and hybrid composites addressing diverse needs related to art. These innovations not only serve practical purposes but also contribute to solving aesthetic and conservation challenges …”

Efficacy of Chitosan-Carboxylic Acid Hydrogels in Reducing and Chelating Iron for the Removal of Rust from Stone Surface

“…Although most reported investigations describe the use of pure or doped cellulose poultice as a medium to convey cleaning agents for the removal of pollutant species, the application of nanostructured fluids or hydrogels has increased significantly in recent years [25][26][27]. For example, polysaccharide-based hydrogels encapsulating biocides of different natures have been effectively employed to remove microbial colonizers from biodeteriorated stone surfaces, both in the laboratory and in situ [28][29][30].…”