Spectroscopic techniques and the conservation of artists’ acrylic emulsion paints

Willneff, Elizabeth A.; Schroeder, Sven L. M.; Ormsby, Bronwyn

doi:10.1186/s40494-014-0025-y

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Polymer coatings formed from aqueous emulsions are significantly more sensitive to the action of water [a well-known issue when emulsion-based acrylic paint layers are exposed to aqueous cleaning fluids (Murray et al, 2002;Ormsby and Learner, 2009;Willneff et al, 2014)], and tend to be swollen. This is justified by the presence of a non-negligible amount of hydrophilic additives and surfactants in the polymer emulsions, which remain in the film after drying and are able to interact with FIGURE 5 | Immersion tests results for the V E -coated glass (A), marble (B), and polystyrene (C) specimens.…”

Section: Dewetted (Seementioning

confidence: 99%

Removing Polymeric Coatings With Nanostructured Fluids: Influence of Substrate, Nature of the Film, and Application Methodology

et al. 2019

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Cleaning is one of the most important and delicate operations in the conservation of cultural heritage, and, if not correctly performed, may irreversibly damage works of art. The removal of aged or detrimental polymeric coatings from works of art is a common operation in conservation, and nanostructured fluids (NSFs), such as aqueous swollen micelles and oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsions, are used as an alternative to non-confined organic solvents, which pose a series of non-negligible drawbacks. NSFs effectiveness in removing polymeric coatings has been thoroughly demonstrated in the last decades, while their cleaning mechanism is still under investigation. The present work deepens the knowledge on the removal mechanisms of NSFs, studying the interaction of a four-component NSF with four different types of acrylic and vinyl polymer films cast from solutions or aqueous polymer latexes on three substrates (glass, marble, and polystyrene) with different hydrophilicity and wettability. NSFs were applied either as non-confined or confined in cellulose poultices (traditionally employed by conservators), or in highly retentive chemical gels, observing the influence of the confining matrix on the removal process. It was found that the NSF/polymer film interaction is greatly dependent on the film structure and composition. Films formed from solvent solutions can be swollen by water/organic solvents mixtures or dewetted when a surfactant is added to the cleaning fluid; films formed from polymer latexes, on the other hand, are generally swollen even just by water alone, but poorly dewet. The substrate also plays an important role in the removal of polymer films formed from solutions, for instance the removal of an acrylic polymer from polystyrene could be achieved only through highly selective cleaning using NSF-loaded chemical hydrogels. These results can be key for conservators, providing innovative solutions to face new challenges in art preservation.

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Section: Dewetted (Seementioning

confidence: 99%

Removing Polymeric Coatings With Nanostructured Fluids: Influence of Substrate, Nature of the Film, and Application Methodology

et al. 2019

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“…Stabilizers, surfactants, fillers, and other materials are added to the polymer dispersion to control shelf-life and ensure optimal performance. [1][2][3][4] In general, their chemical composition makes acrylic paints easy to manipulate-they can be thinned with water in order to achieve different textures-and more economical and environmentally friendly in that they obviate the need for cleanup with organic solvents. [2] Since acrylics are relatively new in the art world and come in a variety of compositions, researchers are still working to characterize their properties fully, especially in regard to their degradation and reaction to conservation treatments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[2] Since acrylics are relatively new in the art world and come in a variety of compositions, researchers are still working to characterize their properties fully, especially in regard to their degradation and reaction to conservation treatments. [5] Acrylic paint films have previously been studied with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, [6,7] X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, [1,8] traditional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), [9] mass spectrometry, [10] and various chromatographic and microscopy techniques [5,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] ; these, in general, require a sample to be taken from the object or painting of interest. Single-sided NMR, however, can measure objects and chemical processes without sampling: It has been applied to the study of various cultural heritage objects including paintings, [19][20][21][22][23] musical instruments, [24] ceramics, [25,26] and paper, [27,28] as well as to food, [29][30][31][32] manufacturing processes, [33,34] and building materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of pigment concentration on NMR relaxometry in acrylic paints

Rooney

Meldrum

2020

Magnetic Reson in Chemistry

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Acrylic emulsion paint is among the most common media employed by 20th century artists. Since early acrylic paintings have begun to require the attention of conservators, scientists are working to characterize the properties of these paints to facilitate conservation efforts. In this study, we report an investigation of the physical and chemical properties of acrylic emulsion paints using single‐sided NMR in conjunction with gloss measurements and scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive spectrometry. Combining the data from these techniques gives insight into pigment‐base interactions and the acrylic curing process, showing that as pigment concentration is increased in paints, the amount of acrylic base adsorbed to pigment particles increases, resulting in films with differing relaxation times. This research both emphasizes and contextualizes the utility of NMR relaxometry in studying cultural heritage objects and prompts further study into the effects of pigment concentration on the curing and conservation of paint films.

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“…High % of RH are reported to be potentially critical for acrylates [ 17 ] because of the water interaction with the water-sensible compounds present in the formulations, such as surfactants [ 4 ]. Literature studies highlight, in fact, the influence of additives in the stability of the paint films, both in terms of visual appearance and chemical–physical and mechanical behaviour [ 4 , 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accelerated Ageing Procedures to Assess the Stability of an Unconventional Acrylic-Wax Polymeric Emulsion for Contemporary Art

et al. 2020

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This research evaluates the stability of an aqueous emulsion of acrylic copolymers and waxes. Edelwachs, generally applied on wood, has been recently used as an unconventional medium in contemporary painting. Through Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and Fourier Transformed Infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance (FT-IR-ATR) analyses, the composition of Edelwachs was defined as a mixture of acrylic polymers (MA, MMA, nBA, nBMA), Carnauba and microcrystalline waxes and additives. Mock-ups-obtained mixing Edelwachs with titanium white, zinc white and ultramarine blue were subjected to UV, high temperatures, and high relative humidity accelerated ageing. The effect of the ageing procedures was evaluated through optical microscopy, colourimetric measurements, FT-IR-ATR, Thermogravimetry and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TG-DSC) and wettability measures. FT-IR-ATR spectra do not show significant variations in terms of chemical stability, indicating a fair stability of Edelwachs as a painting binder. UV and high temperature treatments show the most relevant effects in terms of colorimetric changes (increasing of b*) and thermal stability. The TG-DSC highlights the influence of the pigments (specifically zinc white) mainly on the thermal behaviour of the acrylates. The unexpected decrease of wettability of the paint films, registered after ageing, may indicate a possible phase separation among acrylates and waxes.

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Spectroscopic techniques and the conservation of artists’ acrylic emulsion paints

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

Removing Polymeric Coatings With Nanostructured Fluids: Influence of Substrate, Nature of the Film, and Application Methodology

Removing Polymeric Coatings With Nanostructured Fluids: Influence of Substrate, Nature of the Film, and Application Methodology

Effect of pigment concentration on NMR relaxometry in acrylic paints

Accelerated Ageing Procedures to Assess the Stability of an Unconventional Acrylic-Wax Polymeric Emulsion for Contemporary Art

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