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Selection of thermal, spectroscopic, spectrometric, and chromatographic methods for characterizing historical celluloid
Author(s) -
Elsässer Christina,
Micheluz Anna,
Pamplona Marisa,
Kavda Stefani,
Montag Peter
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.50477
Subject(s) - gel permeation chromatography , thermogravimetric analysis , mass spectrometry , gas chromatography , plasticizer , camphor , chromatography , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , materials science , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , polymer , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , engineering , composite material
Celluloid in museum collections is very unstable; therefore, heritage professionals carry out research studies dedicated to understanding its decay and prolonging its lifetime. This paper addresses the need to compare and select suitable analytical methods for that purpose. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, evolved gas analysis–mass spectrometry, double shot – gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were employed to characterize the emission of gasses (decay products) and measure the molecular weight and camphor (plasticizer) content from unaged, artificially, and naturally aged celluloid samples. A pioneer GPC set‐up for the quantification of camphor was introduced for the first time in this study. Results demonstrated that GPC was the most suitable method for assessing material changes due to degradation. Both set‐ups, for measuring molecular weight and quantifying camphor, appear promising for assessing the effect of conservation treatments and investigating the heterogeneous degradation of celluloid objects in future studies.