Investigation of Asian lacquer films using ToF‐SIMS and complementary analytical techniques

Abstract

Lacquer has been used in Asian countries for thousands of years as a natural coating material owing to its durable, adhesive, decorative, and protective properties. Protection and restoration of lacquer‐coated cultural remains has become an important subject, and identification of the lacquer types in old lacquer‐wares has also become very important for conservation and restoration research. This paper provides identification of several molecular species of vegetal‐source Asian lacquers with the aim of providing a methodology for application in the field of cultural heritage. Several chemical markers of the vegetal species in Asian lacquers were identified using a methodology consistent with the sampling restrictions required for cultural‐heritage objects. Surface analytical methods such as time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese lacquers; avoiding time‐consuming and destructive extraction processes. These ToF‐SIMS results provided the structural characterization of a series of catechol derivatives. The ToF‐SIMS spectra of Rhus vernicifera from Korea and China, and Rhus succedanea from Vietnam indicated a series of urushiol and laccol repeat units, respectively, in the mass range of m/z 0–1800. Because of its sensitivity, specificity, and speed of analysis, the ToF‐SIMS technique can be used to investigate cultural lacquer‐coated treasures as well as to discriminate among different Asian lacquer coatings or binding mediums for the conservation or restoration of lacquer‐ware. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Surface Analysis of Fermented Wheat and Rice Starch Used for Coating Traditional Korean Textiles

“…Surface analytical techniques can provide valuable information on the chemical composition of the surfaces, which is highly important for understanding the function of natural products and developing new materials [ 16 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used extensively to study wheat starch granules after various surface treatments [ 23 ].…”

Synthesis of an urushiol derivative and its use for hydrolysis resistance in dentin adhesive

“…15 Urushiol possesses hydrophobicity, exibility and antibacterial activity as a coating material. 16,17 So it has been used for thousands of years in China to coat cultural relics and furniture, showing excellent aging resistance performance. 18 However, uses of urushiol are limited by the long time and very harsh conditions required for drying.…”

“…[20][21][22][23] Even though urushiol has antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant and hydrophobic properties because of its catechol structure and alkyl chain, it is rarely used in dentistry. 16,[24][25][26] Urushiol nanolm was used in dentistry to create a clear overlay on appliances that improved their durability by increasing the mechanical strength and intrinsic hydrophobicity while reducing the cytotoxicity for antimicrobial applications. 27 Moreover, 0.01% urushiol was reported to exhibit strong antibacterial capacity against Streptococcus mutans and had little effect on the shear bond strength of self-etch adhesives.…”

Quantitative Analysis of Blended Asian Lacquers Using ToF–SIMS, Py–GC/MS and HPLC

“…Researchers have also identified the chemical compositions of Asian lacquers using surface techniques, such as time-of-flight−secondary-ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. These analytical techniques are useful for characterizing polymeric lacquer materials because of the minimal quantity of sample required, high sensitivity, and no sample pretreatment.…”