Ricerc@Sapienza

Microgels are soft, adaptive and penetrable objects characterized by a gel-like internal structure swollen by the dispersing solvent.
Their viscoelastic properties, controlled and predictable, and their responsiveness to external stimuli like temperature, pressure, pH and ionic strength make them favorite model systems for fundamental science as well as for a broad range of applications from industrial to artistic fields.
In particular, in recent years they are employed in paper artworks restoration, a delicate procedure that must take into account degradation and deterioration phenomena over time.
Hydrogels, thanks to their retentive properties can ensure a more controlled cleaning with respect to the traditional method, e.g. washing for immersion, since they are able to confine the solvent into gel matrix and release it in a controlled way.
In this project gellan gum microgels, composed of a natural gelling system, will be studied as novel agents for cleaning modern and ancient papers since they could offer several advantages when compared to hydrogels.
The micrometric dimension of microgel particles allows in fact to penetrate more easily the porous structure of paper and to adapt to inhomogeneities removing the impurities of cellulose.
In this context the preparation and the physical- chemical characterization of gellan gum microgels are fundamental for a successful application in cleaning paper.
Hence in this work we will perform an experimental preliminary study on the behaviour of microgel and on the overall effect of the cleaning treatment of paper samples.
To gain this knowledge a variety of experimental techniques will be employed such as Rheology, Dynamical Light Scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence optical microscopy, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and optical reflectance spectroscopy.