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Evaluation of Different Coatings in Protecting Leather Artifacts in Museums and Libraries from Air Pollution

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Abstract

The gaseous environment pollutants, particularly sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), are considered responsible for the acid deterioration of leather artifacts. Visible changes caused by acid deterioration of leather samples usually include fine cracks and powdery surfaces with partial or complete loss of the leather grain layer. Coating with natural or synthetic waxes and the polymer is one of the most effective treatments for protecting the leather from surrounding environmental conditions. This study aims to design and install a gas exposure chamber with high homogeneity (expressed as very low standard deviation and uncertainty of the measured gas concentration) and to evaluate the efficiency of different coatings in protecting leather artifacts from air pollutants containing (SO2). Untreated and treated Vegetable-tanned leather samples containing beeswax, paraffin wax, and Paraloid B.72™ were exposed to SO2 (500 ppm) at 50 °C and relative humidity of 85% for five weeks. The properties investigated were mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation), change of color by UV. spectrophotometer, pH value, attenuated total reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and investigation of the surface morphology using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the treated samples with coatings were better than untreated samples before and after accelerated aging. The results also showed that the treated leather samples with Paraloid B.72™ have remarkable changes in their chemical, mechanical and physical properties. In contrast, the treated leather samples with the mixture of bees and paraffin waxes have been protected from the absorption of SO2.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Cairo University, the National Institute of Standards and Al-Azhar El-Sharif Library for their support in the current study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, P.O. 12613, Giza, Egypt

    Gomaa Abdel-Maksoud

  2. Chemical Metrology Division, National Institute of Standards (NIS-Egypt), Cairo, Egypt

    Khaled El-Nagar

  3. Department of Manuscripts Conservation, Al-Azhar El-Sharif Library, Cairo, 11511, Egypt

    Mahmoud Saad-Eldeen Kassem

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  1. Gomaa Abdel-Maksoud
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  3. Mahmoud Saad-Eldeen Kassem
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Abdel-Maksoud, G., El-Nagar, K. & Kassem, M.SE. Evaluation of Different Coatings in Protecting Leather Artifacts in Museums and Libraries from Air Pollution. MAPAN 38, 853–865 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12647-023-00658-6

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