Plastics in Museum Collections - a study of their chemical and physical degradation using a System Dynamics approach

这个项目将以一种新的方式来看待博物馆的文物：作为一个复杂的系统，它经历了多重的、相互关联的化学和物理过程。专注于博物馆藏品中越来越多的塑料物品，并呈现出与它们的稳定性相关的重大问题，成功的学生将进行实验，试图更深入地了解这些过程及其相互关系。该项目由伦敦大学学院与伦敦博物馆和Lacerta科技有限公司合作完成。该研究将涉及降解实验和基于实验室的材料分析，使用傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱和气相色谱/质谱（GC/MS）等技术。学生还将在伦敦博物馆使用便携式非破坏性分析技术进行现场分析。本研究旨在开发一种新的方法来理解材料降解，这种方法可以应用于许多领域，例如医学或国防，并为遗产专业人员提供实用的解决方案，例如为控制博物馆储存环境提供指导。

This project will view museum artefacts in a new way: as complex systems which undergo multiple, inter-related chemical and physical processes. Focussing on plastic objects, which are found in increasing numbers in museum collections, and present significant problems in relation to their stability, the successful student will conduct experiments that seek to understand these processes and their inter-relationships in more depth. The project is based at UCL, in partnership with the Museum of London and Lacerta Technology Ltd. The research will involve degradation experiments and laboratory-based materials analysis using techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The student will also perform on-site analysis at the Museum of London using portable, non-destructive analytical techniques. This research aims to develop a new approach to understanding material degradation that can be applied in many fields, such as medicine or defence, and provide practical solutions for heritage professionals, such as providing guidance on controlling museum storage environments.