Novel Graphene-Based Materials as a Tool for Improving Long-Term Storage of Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The very serious problem of temperature and humidity regulation, especially for small and medium-sized museums, galleries, and private collections, can be mitigated by the introduction of novel materials that are easily applicable and of low cost. Within this study, archive boxes with innovative technology are proposed as “smart” boxes that can be used for storage and transportation, in combination with a nanocomposite material consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and graphene oxide (GO). The synthesis and characterization of the PVA/GO structure with SEM, Raman, AFM, XRD, Optical Microscopy, and profilometry are fully discussed. It is shown that the composite material can be integrated into the archive box either as a stand-alone film or attached onto fitting carriers, for example, those made of corrugated board. By applying the PVA/GO membrane this way, even with strong daily temperature fluctuations of ΔT = ±24.1 °C, strong external humidity fluctuations can be reduced by −87% inside the box. Furthermore, these humidity regulators were examined as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) adsorbers since gas pollutants like formic acid, formaldehyde, acetic acid, and acetaldehyde are known to exist in museums and induce damages in the displayed or stored items. High rates of VOC adsorption have been measured, with the highest ones corresponding to formic acid (521% weight increase) and formaldehyde (223% weight increase).

Present Status and Perspectives of Graphene and Graphene‐related Materials in Cultural Heritage

“…GO can interact and, consequently trap these molecules thanks to its oxygen‐containing functional groups, which make it affine to polar species. [ 30 ] Parallelly, protection from nonpolar VOCs might also be achieved by leveraging the hydrophobicity of graphene. [ 198,199 ] In the action of the polyvinyl alcohol/GO film, the interaction mechanism appears to mainly involve surface complexation, π–π stacking, and electrostatic interactions.…”

“…[ 198,199 ] In the action of the polyvinyl alcohol/GO film, the interaction mechanism appears to mainly involve surface complexation, π–π stacking, and electrostatic interactions. [ 30 ] Most importantly, the authors report that the adsorption mechanism is reversible, possibly allowing to reuse of the PLA/GO film after it has reached its maximum capacity. The performance of this nanocomposite has been reported to be comparable or superior to the one based on rGO combined with ionic liquids [ 200 ] or hexagonal boron nitride [ 201 ] in terms of VOCs adsorption.…”

“…[ 18–23 ] Within this realm, graphene and graphene‐related materials (GRMs) have shown promise in addressing a range of issues ( Figure A), including corrosion, UV‐aging, and reversibility. [ 24–31 ] These issues are sometimes not fully addressed by current strategies, [ 32–35 ] or by conventional treatments. [ 36–41 ]…”