Exploration of effects by the 'alum-glue solution' on Xuan paper degradation using a 2 3 factorial design experiment

In the traditional Chinese conservation mounting process, it is well acknowledged that the alum-glue solution, composed of potassium aluminum sulfate symbolscript gelatin, and water, is commonly used for paper sizing. In this study, its adverse effects when prepared in different ratios on the contem-porary Xuan paper are explored, demonstrating certain negative influences on material properties and paper durability. We primarily characterized an extra-pure Xuan paper as a reference sample. Then, a 2 3 full factorial experiment was designed and performed to explore the effects of the three factors, i.e., symbolscript (denoted as alum), animal glue or gelatin (denoted as glue), and water contents on rates of paper degradation symbolscript and color changes symbolscript and symbolscript The results show that the unsized extra -pure Xuan paper sample has good stability due to appreciable alkaline reserve, weakly alkalinity, and no presence of transition metals. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images demonstrate the presence of sizing. Given that the alum-glue solution has been widely used in paper conservation, the results in this study demonstrate the devastating role of symbolscript and the protective effects of gelatin on durability of treated papers, verified by the DP-related data. Ad-ditionally, it was found that the presence of alum is mainly responsible for the lightness decrease of the treated papers, and animal glue plays a primary role in paper yellowing. The findings in this research can deepen our understanding of the rate of paper degradation and color changes for the Xuan paper treated with the alum-glue solution.(c) 2023 Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, the adverse effects of alum-glue solution on contemporary Xuan paper were explored, showing the role of alum and gelatin in paper conservation. The results demonstrate the protective effects of gelatin on paper durability and the primary role of animal glue in paper yellowing. This research deepens our understanding of the rate of paper degradation and color changes for Xuan paper treated with alum-glue solution.