A diagnostic tool for assessing the conservation condition of cellulose nitrate and acetate in heritage collections: quantifying the degree of substitution by infrared spectroscopy

摘要

Cellulose nitrate and acetate are materials at risk in heritage collections because it is not possible to predict the evolution of their conservation state over time. Knowing that the degree of substitution (DS) of these materials correlates with their state of conservation because the fundamental degradation mechanism is hydrolysis, in this work, DS was measured in historical objects and artworks. Infrared spectra were used to develop and optimize calibration curves for cellulose nitrate and acetate.