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Polymers
Special Issues
Natural Polymers in Heritage
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Natural Polymers in Heritage

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2024 | Viewed by 5746

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Irena Kralj Cigić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna Pot 113, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: analytical chemistry; separation techniques; mass spectrometry; heritage science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is a large group of natural polymers that are of great importance for heritage science: cellulosic materials such as paper, cotton, and wood; proteinaceous materials such as silk, wool, and parchment; as well as modified natural polymers such as cellulose acetate and nitrocellulose. There are large collections of these materials in archives, libraries, museums, and galleries, so the study of their stability is a significant topic. In addition, several specific degradation products are relevant for these materials, therefore monitoring these compounds and studying their influence on the objects is an important issue. Consequently, preventive conservation is a relevant domain, and based on the scientific research of the polymer materials described above, guidelines for different collections can be established which also consider the indoor environment.

The aim of this Special Issue is to update the studies on natural polymers that are involved in heritage science research. Various aspects can be discussed, from material stability (including investigations of real and model samples, studies based on natural and accelerated degradation) to the influence of degradation products on objects in cultural heritage collections, the monitoring of these products, and the preventive conservation of collections.

Prof. Dr. Irena Kralj Cigić
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heritage science
  • natural polymers
  • modified natural polymers
  • natural degradation
  • accelerated degradation
  • degradation products
  • volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  • aldehydes
  • acids
  • monitoring
  • indoor environment
  • chemical investigation
  • hydrolysis
  • oxidation
  • modification
  • preventive conservation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1319 KiB  
Article
Determination of Cellulose Degree of Polymerization in Historical Papers with High Lignin Content
by Jasna Malešič, Ida Kraševec and Irena Kralj Cigić
Polymers 2021, 13(12), 1990; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13121990 - 17 Jun 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3579
Abstract
Determination of cellulose degree of polymerization (DP) is one of the most commonly used methods in paper degradation studies, performed either by a standardized method using viscometry (as average degree of polymerization (DPv)) or size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) (as weight average molecular [...] Read more.
Determination of cellulose degree of polymerization (DP) is one of the most commonly used methods in paper degradation studies, performed either by a standardized method using viscometry (as average degree of polymerization (DPv)) or size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) (as weight average molecular mass (Mw)). Due to the insolubility of papers with high lignin content in cupriethylenediamine (CED), such as groundwood papers, viscometric determination is not possible; therefore, pretreatment is required to allow subsequent dissolution of the papers. In this study, the pretreatment of historical papers containing groundwood with sodium chlorite in acetic acid was investigated, which enables dissolution of the paper samples in CED and determination of the cellulose average degree of polymerization by viscometry (DPv). Kappa number was determined to estimate the lignin content in the papers. The suitability of SEC UV-VIS analysis for determination of Mw in papers with high lignin content had been verified before it was used as a comparative method for viscometry. Using SEC, changes in the weight average molecular mass (Mw) of cellulose tricarbanilate (CTC) derivative during delignification were evaluated. The results indicate that no significant depolymerization occurred in the selected samples under the studied delignification conditions, which was additionally confirmed with determination of monosaccharides by ion chromatography. The results of the Mw determinations by SEC and DPv by viscometry are in good correlation, justifying the use of viscometry after chlorite/acetic acid pretreatment to determine the cellulose average degree of polymerization in historical papers with high lignin content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Polymers in Heritage)
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14 pages, 2784 KiB  
Article
Non-Destructive Detection of Pentachlorophenol Residues in Historical Wooden Objects
by Ida Kraševec, Nataša Nemeček, Maja Lozar Štamcar, Irena Kralj Cigić and Helena Prosen
Polymers 2021, 13(7), 1052; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13071052 - 27 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2304
Abstract
Wood is a natural polymeric material that is an important constituent of many heritage collections. Because of its susceptibility to biodegradation, it is often chemically treated with substances that can be harmful to human health. One of the most widely used wood preservatives [...] Read more.
Wood is a natural polymeric material that is an important constituent of many heritage collections. Because of its susceptibility to biodegradation, it is often chemically treated with substances that can be harmful to human health. One of the most widely used wood preservatives was pentachlorophenol (PCP), which is still present in museum objects today, although its use has been restricted for about forty years. The development of non-destructive methods for its determination, suitable for the analysis of valuable objects, is therefore of great importance. In this work, two non-destructive solid-phase microextraction (SPME) methods were developed and optimized, using either headspace or contact mode. They were compared with a destructive solvent extraction method and found to be suitable for quantification in the range of 7.5 to 75 mg PCP/kg wood at room temperature. The developed semi-quantitative methods were applied in the wooden furniture depot of National Museum of Slovenia. PCP was detected inside two furniture objects using headspace mode. The pesticide lindane was also detected in one object. The indoor air of the depot with furniture was also sampled with HS SPME, and traces of PCP were found. According to the results, SPME methods are suitable for the detection of PCP residues in museum objects and in the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Polymers in Heritage)
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