Assessing the effect of minimally invasive lipid extraction on parchment integrity by artificial ageing and integrated analytical techniques

Marc Vermeulen*, Samuel P. Johns, Gwen dePolo, Pedro Maximo Rocha, Matthew J. Collins, Lora Angelova, Mélanie Roffet-Salque

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

To assess the short and long-term effect of a newly developed minimally invasive lipid extraction method on parchment, sacrificial pieces of parchments were subjected to artificial ageing and investigated using various analytical methods. Lipids were extracted using our novel vacuum-aided extraction method and characterised by high-temperature gas chromatography (HTGC-FID). Lipids were identified as arising from degraded animal fats. The physical, molecular, and mechanical properties of the parchment samples before/after lipid extraction, and before/after ageing were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and pure shear single notch fracture testing. SEM imaging allowed for an assessment of potential structural changes of the collagen fibres while FTIR was used to investigate the possible molecular changes indicated by changes in amide I and II bands. Mechanical tests were used to record the changes in brittleness and stiffness occurring in the materials through lipid extraction and ageing. The multimodal investigation did not highlight measurable changes in the structural, molecular, and mechanical properties of the lipid-extracted parchment, thus indicating the suitability for the minimally invasive lipid extraction method to be applied to historical parchments.

Original languageEnglish
Article number111076
JournalPolymer Degradation and Stability
Volume230
Number of pages10
ISSN0141-3910
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

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© 2024

Keywords

  • FTIR
  • Lipid extraction
  • Mechanical properties
  • Parchment
  • Pure shear fracture
  • SEM

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