Exploring Cleaning Methodologies for Plastic Artworks Using Laser and Cold Plasma Techniques

探索使用激光和冷等离子体技术清洁塑料艺术品的方法

• 批准号: 2580041
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2580041
• 关键词: Exploring; Cleaning; Methodologies; Plastic; Artworks

Plastics have become part of modern art collections and their preservation is an active area of research which presents many challenges. Plastics in museum collections can deteriorate with surprising suddenness with consequent material damage (plasticiser loss, deformation, colour and compositional changes). Dust and dirt removal are also important conservation challenges; a 2019 survey at Tate, conducted by UCL identified ingrained dirt on 72 and dust on 66 out of 75 surveyed plastic components. The 2012 EU project POPART which focused on the conservation of plastic artefacts identified that approximately 75% of museum-based collections need cleaning.The cleaning of plastic artworks encompass risk around the development of scratches, modifying surface morphology, the extraction of low molecular weight materials, cleaning system residues, changes to optical surface properties such as transparency and colour, solvent effects, enhanced oxidation and mechanical damage.This research proposes to investigate unexplored cleaning methodologies for plastic artworks using laser sources and cold plasma radiation. This project aims to explore the role of laser and cold plasma as conservation cleaning tools for plastic artworks. The research opens the potential to safely treat a higher range of plastics in artworks and in other heritage objects. The project will improve the understanding of these technologies' capabilities and how they can be implemented into wider conservation strategies. Having a greater understanding of the ability of laser and cold plasma cleaning technologies may offer conservators a future cleaning method, not just for surface dirt but also for the removal of acrylic cements and old adhesives. This is of relevance both nationally and internationally, for any heritage institution with plastics in their collections. The research activities within the project will constitute a contribution to the development of protocols for laser cleaning and cold plasma applications for different categories of plastics.All plastics cleaning protocols explored so far require contact, which can be hazardous for valuable artworks and there is a need to advance less invasive cleaning strategies since plastics exhibit poor resistance to abrasion. The key advantages of laser and cold plasma treatments are that they are non-contact, solvent-free methods that allow for great control exhibit strong potential as cleaning methods for a wide range of plastics. This research project aligns with four EPSRC research areas - light matter and optical phenomena, plasma and lasers, polymer materials and surface science.This is an interdisciplinary research project. The project benefits from collaboration between UCL Medical Physics and Bioengineering and the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage. The supervisory team of Prof Adam Gibson and Dr Katherine Curran bring expertise in material-light interactions and plastics degradation, respectively. Also, the interdisciplinary collaboration involves the CNR-ISPC (Italian National Research Council - Institute of Heritage Science) with Dr Cristiano Riminesi who - as prospective co-supervisor - will give access to laser and plasma devices for this project, also sharing his expertise on the application of these technologies for the cleaning of other types of artworks. Moreover, this research could represent cutting-edge solutions for museums with plastic artworks collections; museum Tate already expressed a strong interest in collaborating on this project, which increases Tate's ongoing and past research relationship (e.g. COMPLEX and NANORESTART projects) with the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage.

塑料已经成为现代艺术收藏的一部分，它们的保存是一个活跃的研究领域，提出了许多挑战。博物馆收藏的塑料会以惊人的速度突然变质，造成材料损坏（增塑剂损失、变形、颜色和成分变化）。灰尘和污垢清除也是重要的保护挑战；2019年，伦敦大学学院在泰特进行的一项调查发现，在75个被调查的塑料部件中，72个有根深蒂固的污垢，66个有灰尘。2012年欧盟POPART项目关注的是塑料制品的保护，该项目发现，大约75%的博物馆藏品需要清洁。塑料艺术品的清洁包括划痕的发展、表面形态的改变、低分子量材料的提取、清洁系统残留物、光学表面特性的改变（如透明度和颜色）、溶剂效应、增强氧化和机械损伤。本研究提出了利用激光源和冷等离子体辐射对塑料艺术品进行未开发的清洁方法。该项目旨在探索激光和冷等离子体作为塑料艺术品保护清洁工具的作用。这项研究开启了安全处理艺术品和其他文物中更多种类塑料的可能性。该项目将提高对这些技术能力的理解，以及如何将它们应用到更广泛的保护战略中。对激光和冷等离子体清洁技术的能力有了更深入的了解，可能会为修复人员提供一种未来的清洁方法，不仅用于表面污垢，还用于去除丙烯酸水泥和旧粘合剂。这是相关的国内和国际上，任何遗产机构的塑料收藏品。该项目的研究活动将有助于制定激光清洁和冷等离子体应用于不同类别塑料的协议。迄今为止探索的所有塑料清洁方案都需要接触，这对有价值的艺术品可能是危险的，并且需要推进侵入性较小的清洁策略，因为塑料的耐磨性较差。激光和冷等离子体处理的主要优点是它们是非接触的，无溶剂的方法，可以很好地控制，显示出广泛的塑料清洁方法的强大潜力。该研究项目与EPSRC的四个研究领域——光物质和光学现象、等离子体和激光、聚合物材料和表面科学——保持一致。这是一个跨学科的研究项目。该项目得益于伦敦大学学院医学物理与生物工程学院和伦敦大学学院可持续遗产研究所的合作。亚当·吉布森教授和凯瑟琳·柯伦博士的监督团队分别带来了材料-光相互作用和塑料降解方面的专业知识。此外，这项跨学科的合作还包括CNR-ISPC（意大利国家研究委员会-遗产科学研究所）和Cristiano Riminesi博士，他作为未来的联合主管，将为该项目提供激光和等离子设备，并分享他在将这些技术应用于其他类型艺术品清洁方面的专业知识。此外，这项研究可以为拥有塑料艺术品收藏的博物馆提供前沿解决方案；泰特博物馆已经表达了对这个项目合作的强烈兴趣，这增加了泰特与伦敦大学学院可持续遗产研究所正在进行的和过去的研究关系（例如COMPLEX和NANORESTART项目）。