Cleaning of artificially soiled paper using nanosecond, picosecond and femtosecond laser pulses
(2010)
Cleaning of cultural assets, especially fragile
organic materials like paper, is a part of the conservation
process. Laser radiation as a non-contact tool offers
prospects for that purpose. For the studies presented here,
paper model samples were prepared using three different paper
types (pure cellulose, rag paper, and wood-pulp paper).
Pure cellulose serves as reference material. Rag and woodpulp
paper represent essential characteristics of the basic
materials of real-world artworks. The papers were mechanically
soiled employing pulverized charcoal. Pure and artificially soiled paper samples were treated with laser pulses of
28 fs (800 nm wavelength) and 8–12 ns (532 nm) duration in
a multi pulse approach. Additionally, the cellulose reference
material was processed with 30 ps (532 nm) laser pulses.
Damage and cleaning thresholds of pure and soiled paper
were determined for the different laser regimes. Laser working
ranges allowing for removal of contamination and avoiding
permanent modification to the substrate were found.
The specimens prior and after laser illumination were characterized
by light-optical microscopy (OM) and scanning
electron microscopy (SEM) as well as multi spectral imaging
analysis. The work extends previous nanosecond laser
cleaning investigations on paper into the ultra-short pulse
duration domain.
Paper is one of the most important materials representing and witnessing human culture particularly as a carrier medium for text and image. As soiling hampers the reception of information, paper cleaning techniques are needed. Traditional mechanical and chemical cleaning methods are used by conservator-restorers. In some cases, a classical cleaning procedure of paper objects yields unsatisfactory results or a conventional treatment is even impossible. Especially, fragile paper objects cause problems due to mechanical instabilities. Laser cleaning as a non-contact method might be a way to overcome some of the limitations of classical cleaning techniques. Laser parameters have to be chosen to achieve removal of the soiling without influencing the artwork. Any immediate as well as long-term effects causing an irreversible change of the artwork have to be avoided. At present, most laser applications are found in stone and metal conservation, while laser treatment of complex organic materials like paper is still not fully developed for application in conservators' workshops. This contribution describes recent work of pulsed laser cleaning of soiled model samples. Pure cellulose, rag paper and wood-pulp paper were mechanically soiled with pulverized charcoal in a standardized procedure to make model samples representing essential characteristics of contaminated real-world artworks. Afterwards, model samples were cleaned using short and ultrashort laser pulses in the nanosecond and femtosecond time domain, respectively. An extensive analysis of the model samples after laser treatment using an optical microscope and a multi-spectral imaging system allows a comparison of the cleaning results obtained with both laser sources.
Many wooden artworks are contaminated by DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) as a result of a surface treatment by means of the liquid preservative Hylotox-59©. It was used until the end of the 1980s. DDT crystal structures are formed on the wood surfaces by the "blooming" of chlorine compounds. In addition to an aesthetic disturbance, it is assumed that DDT represents a health risk. Even decades after applying, the toxins in the wood preservatives are still detectable because they are of low volatility in many wood samples. Contaminated waste wood with natural biocide ageing, gilded and wood carved elements of an old picture frame and wooden samples with paint layers were provided by the Schlossmuseum Sondershausen. Non-contact procedures using laser and plasma appear reasonable to remove the DDT crystals. During the experiments, health and safety issues for the operator have to be taken into account.
The removal of DDT was evaluated employing femtosecond and nanosecond laser radiation and cold atmospheric plasma techniques with different working gases (air, nitrogen, and argon). Before laser application, a chlorine measurement representing the DDT density on the wooden surface is done by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis as reference. After laser processing, the XRF analysis is used again at the same surface position to determine the depletion rate. Additionally, a documentation and characterization of the sample surface is performed before and after laser and plasma treatment using optical microscopy (OM). For plasma processing with various systems a chlorine measurement is done by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis.
Until the end of the 1980s many wooden artworks underwent surface treatment by liquid preservatives, e.g. Hylotox-59. DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) crystal structures are formed on the wooden surfaces by the "blooming" of chlorine compounds by time. In addition to an aesthetic disturbance, it is assumed that DDT represents a health risk. Therefore, the removal of DDT crystals from the surfaces is requested. Contaminated wood with natural biocide ageing, gilded and wood carved elements and wooden samples with paint layers were provided by the Schlossmuseum Sondershausen, Germany. Laser cleaning on selected surface areas on the objects was done by means of femtosecond and nanosecond laser pulses. For the same object, cleaning results using 30-fs laser pulses at 800 nm wavelength are compared to findings utilizing 10-ns laser pulses at 1064 nm wavelength. Before and after laser treatment, chlorine measurements at the same surface position were done by X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) as an indicator for the presence of DDT. In this way, pointwise chlorine depletion rates can be obtained for the different pulse duration regimes and wavelengths. Additionally, the object surfaces were examined using optical microscopy and multi spectral imaging analysis.