A new conservation treatment for strengthening and deacidification of paper using polysiloxane networks

Camille Piovesan (1, 2) , Anne-Laurence Dupont (1) , Isabelle Fabre-Francke (2) , Odile Fichet (2) , Bertrand Lavédrine (1) , Hervé Cheradame (3)

1 CRCC - Centre de Recherche pour la Conservation des Collections
2 LPPI - Laboratoire de Physico-chimie des Polymères et des Interfaces
3 MPI - Laboratoire Matériaux Polymères aux Interfaces

Acidity is the main factor in the deterioration of paper, resulting in a loss of material and of the information conveyed. Current methods for the stabilization and mass treatment of paper are based on the neutralization of acids and deposition of a mineral buffer, called alkaline reserve, in the fibrous network. This treatment helps the paper fighting future acidity arising during the natural aging process. The aim of our research is to develop a stabilization methodology allowing simultaneous deacidification and fiber strengthening. This novel preservation strategy for acidic and fragile paper especially targets documents that are currently banned from public access because of their poor physical condition. In previous publications, a multifunctional solvent phase process based on various polysiloxanes with amine functionality (aminoalkylalkoxysilanes) was studied as an alternative for libraries and archives. Deacidification is ensured by the amine function and reinforcement is effected by in-situ polymerization in the paper of the polysiloxane in ambient conditions. In this work we propose the use of a di-alkoxysilane (AMDES, aminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane) and a tri-alkoxy aminosilane (APTES, aminopropyltriethoxysilane), both bearing an amine function, as well as their copolymer (polyAPTES/polyAMDES) as fibers strengthening agents in a model paper made of pure cellulose.

Domaines: Chimie; Matériaux; Polymères

Camille Piovesan, Anne-Laurence Dupont, Isabelle Fabre-Francke, Odile Fichet, Bertrand Lavédrine, et al.. A new conservation treatment for strengthening and deacidification of paper using polysiloxane networks. ChemCH 2014 - Third International Congress on Chemistry for Cultural Heritage, Dr. Manfred Schreiner & Dr. Rita Wiesinger, Jul 2014, Vienne, Austria. ⟨hal-01151289⟩