Electrospun nanofibers for fragile artifact conservation

• Published in: Composites communications Vol. 46; p. 101824
• Main Authors: Ding, Liqiang, Li, Ru, Gao, Yuan, Yan, Bingyu, Zhang, Chao, Zhang, Guodong, Yu, Pihang, Long, Yun-Ze, Zhang, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2024
• ISSN: 2452-2139; 2452-2139
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coco.2024.101824

Artifacts are exposed to various risks before they are transported the laboratory, at the same time little research into the timely protection of artifacts at excavation sites are made. For this reason, we use electrospinning based on the strategy of regulating a high-voltage electrostatic field to limit its dispersion angle to deposit nanofibers precisely for protecting fragile artifacts. This strategy can make protecting fragile artifacts in suit true, and it doesn't depend on urban power supply. Not only that, this strategy improves the precision by a factor of 2 compared to conventional electrospinning. The mechanical strength of artifacts is greatly improved, so that it cannot be broken during the process of transport. The endowed hydrophobic property also can prevent artifacts from being contaminated by water. The electrospinning is expected to be an effective strategy for heritage conservation in the future. We use electrospinning to precisely deposit nanofibers to protect fragile artifacts through a strategy that modulates the high-voltage electrostatic field and limits its dispersion angle. This strategy increases the precision by a factor of 2 compared to conventional electrostatic spinning. The mechanical strength of the artifacts is greatly improved while the artifacts are endowed with hydrophobic properties. [Display omitted] •Protection of cultural objects in situ.•High-precision electrostatic spinning.•Highly efficient protection of cultural relics.