Graphene to Protect Paintings from Fading?
July 15 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's an interesting article on a study made by the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas in Greece on the use of Graphene to protect old paintings from light damage. Reports suggest that using a thin 'invisible' layer of the material will help protect sensitive historic pigments.
According to the article:
A graphene veil can prevent up to 70% of colour fading, the researchers behind the work suggest. While the exact amount of protection depends on the colours and the pigment substrate, ‘this corresponds approximately to 200 years of exposure under the conditions encountered in museums or other exhibition environments’, says study leader Costas Galiotis of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas in Greece.
‘Graphene absorbs a considerable amount of ultraviolet light, depending on the number of layers, and is a very good barrier against oxygen and moisture,’ Galiotis explains. ‘It prevents colour fading by simultaneously reducing the incident harmful radiation and by delaying the diffusion of oxidising agents.’
Naturally, it is perhaps a good idea that more widespread tests are done on a variety of different painted surfaces before this becomes adopted by the conservation community. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of it!
