Nanodiamond composites: A new material for the preservation of parchment

In this work, the application of nanodiamond (ND)-composites and dispersions as consolidating agents for parchment substrates has been studied. Different nanocomposites and ND-based dispersions have been tested showing very promising results and making ND a potential high-performance additive in the field of restoration. The effect of ND treatment on parchment has been evaluated by analyzing the variations in the parchment denaturation temperature, with respect to the untreated samples, by means of the Light Transmission Analysis (LTA), before and after artificial aging. The hydrolysis/gelatinization degree of the collagen molecule has also been analyzed by means of the Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform IR (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy on the same samples investigated by LTA. ND composites, at certain concentrations, seem to improve the structural stability of the collagen networking, contrasting the thermo-hygrometrically induced aging. Therefore, ND has confirmed to be a promising material to be applied for the restoration and conservation of Cultural Heritage.