Nanocelluloses and Their Applications in Conservation and Restoration of Historical Documents

• Published in: Polymers Vol. 16; no. 9; p. 1227
• Main Authors: Marques, Ana P S, Almeida, Ricardo O, Pereira, Luís F R, Carvalho, Maria Graça V S, Gamelas, José A F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-05-2024
• Subjects: Bacteria; Biocompatibility; Cellulose; Cellulose fibers; Chemicals; Cultural heritage; Cultural property, Protection of; Cultural resources; Documents; Electronic packaging; Enzymes; Food packaging; Fungicides; Glucose; Hydrogen bonds; Lignin; Mechanical properties; Medieval period; Moisture content; Nanocrystals; Nanoparticles; Optical properties; Restoration; Sulfur; Technology application; Textiles; Ultraviolet radiation; Netherlands; Japan; paper restoration; historical documents; iron gall ink; nanocelluloses; paper conservation
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym16091227

Nanocelluloses have gained significant attention in recent years due to their singular properties (good biocompatibility, high optical transparency and mechanical strength, large specific surface area, and good film-forming ability) and wide-ranging applications (paper, food packaging, textiles, electronics, and biomedical). This article is a comprehensive review of the applications of nanocelluloses (cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibrils, and bacterial nanocellulose) in the conservation and restoration of historical paper documents, including their preparation methods and main properties. The novelty lies in the information collected about nanocelluloses as renewable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable materials in the field of cultural heritage preservation as an alternative to conventional methods. Several studies have demonstrated that nanocelluloses, with or without other particles, may impart to the paper documents excellent optical and mechanical properties, very good stability against temperature and humidity aging, higher antibacterial and antifungal activity, high protection from UV light, and may be applied without requiring additional adhesive.