Cultural Heritage
Persons in charge: Sophie Cantin-Rivière – Odile Fichet
As part of the conservation and restoration of heritage, IPNs combining poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate that are resistant to mechanical (scratching) and chemical alteration caused by their cleaning have been developed. These transparent PMMA/PCR39® IPN (T=95%), synthesized in a single step, without solvent, have a scratch resistance six times higher than the PMMA.
Polymer networks have also been shown to be effective in old paper restoration work. Thus, the introduction of a polysiloxane network bearing amine groups using the sol-gel method within an old paper simultaneously allows it to be deacidified (from pH=4 to pH=9) and strengthened (number of double-folds increased from 17 to 25).
In addition, our work on the conservation of plasticized PVC heritage objects has shed new light on the long-term effect of conservation methods. Thus, mechanical cleaning of old PVC with exudates does not alter the rate of subsequent migration of the plasticizers to the PVC surface. On the other hand, closed conditioning slows the rate of alteration.