From Nanoparticles to Gels: A Breakthrough in Art Conservation Science

Cultural heritage is a crucial resource to increase oursociety'sresilience. However, degradation processes, enhanced by environmentaland anthropic risks, inevitably affect works of art, hindering theiraccessibility and socioeconomic value. In response, interfacial andcolloidal chemistry has proposed valuable solutions over the pastdecades, overcoming the limitations of traditional restoration materialsand granting cost- and time-effective remedial conservation of theendangered artifacts. Ranging from inorganic nanoparticles to hybridcomposites and soft condensed matter (gels, microemulsions), a widepalette of colloidal systems has been made available to conservatorsworldwide, targeting the consolidation, cleaning, and protection ofworks of art. The effectiveness and versatility of the proposed solutionsallow the safe and effective treatment of masterpieces belonging todifferent cultural and artistic productions, spanning from classicages to the Renaissance and modern/contemporary art. Despite theseadvancements, the formulation of materials for the preservation ofcultural heritage is still an open, exciting field, where recent requirementsinclude coping with the imperatives of the Green Deal to foster theproduction of sustainable, low-toxicity, and environmentally friendlysystems. This review gives a critical overview starting from pioneeringworks up to the latest advancements in colloidal systems for art conservation,a challenging topic where effective solutions can be transversal tomultiple sectors even beyond cultural heritage preservation, fromthe pharmaceutical and food industry, to cosmetics, tissue engineering,and detergency.

Automated summary

Cultural heritage is important for society's resilience, but degradation due to environmental and anthropic risks affects accessibility and socioeconomic value of artistic works. Interfacial and colloidal chemistry have provided valuable solutions for cost-effective conservation of endangered artifacts, using a wide range of colloidal systems. However, the field still requires advancements in sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. This review critically examines pioneering and recent advancements in colloidal systems for art conservation, which can have applications in multiple sectors beyond cultural heritage preservation.