Art objects conservation by non-thermal plasma generated atomic oxygen beam (PlasmArt).

While unsustainable development increasingly threatens Europe's cultural heritage (CH) assets, museums and conservators continue searching for green approaches and materials. In the preservation of tangible CH assets, carbon-based soiling is among the most significant deteriorations factors. Pollution, vandalism, smoke and fires can cause catastrophic carbon-based contamination to tangible CH assets, and cleaning is essential for their preservation. However, currently available methods require hazardous chemicals, physical contact, and water, which can be too disruptive to many art materials. Equipped with only these methods, conservators increasingly encounter surfaces, which cannot be cleaned without unacceptable damages. PlasmArt project rises to the challenge of cleaning and preserving extremely fragile artworks for the future and will bring together plasma physics, heritage science and conservation to bring to fruition a radical green innovation - a non-contact approach, based on atomic oxygen, which will empower conservators removing soiling in non-mechanical, liquid-free action, without health or environmental concerns, residues, and waste. To achieve its transformative goals, PlasmArt will research fundamental aspects of AO, develop and test a proof-of-concept system, study interactions with ultra-sensitive art materials and roadmap AO innovation, propelling it to the emergent clean technologies in conservation and beyond, with its full potential yet to be realized.

Keywords:HERITAGE PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION-RESTORATION

Disciplines:Physics of gases, Engineering instrumentation, Historical materials and production methods, Material science for conservation-restoration

Project type:Collaboration project