Nanostructured MgB2 to KEEP in protection and Conservation of Archival and Librarian Materials (KEEP CALM)

The project proposed here is developed in the context of conservation and in particular the preservation of the librarian and archival heritage, intended as paper, parchments and papyri. Specifically, the biocide and anti-acid properties of new nanostructured materials, able to exert passive protection on manufactured products and applicable on a large scale, are still to be exploited. The study takes into account the peculiarities of magnesium diboride (MgB2), a material that has recently shown excellent antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is a biocompatible and non-toxic compound that already plays an important role in the production chain. The MgB2 is a material already known for its mechanical and refractory properties, as well as for its superconductive properties that have made it known in the research on electric and magnetic transport. Also in the energy field, this material plays a decisive role in the supply chain of hydrogen production, resulting as a product of reactions involving compounds intended for storage. Therefore, this research deals with the conservation of cultural heritage, as well as the wider field of alternative energy and circular economy. The innovative idea lies in the distribution of MgB2 nanostructures within the fibers of parchment or paper, media typical of the archival and book context, to prevent, or at least limit, the biological proliferation generating the degradation of the artefacts. This conservative action is part of a consolidated context of the use of nanocompounds for the protection or restoration of paper and parchment, through well-known application and removal mechanisms. In this study, therefore, we want to take action in all those situations where preventive conservation techniques are not enough, or because of critical conditions (flooding, increase in relative humidity, etc...) or because of a too difficult to control microclimatic context. In short, this research work will develop into four distinct phases. The first will focus on the synthesis, functionalization and characterization of MgB2 nanoparticles and therefore on their application for the verification of effectiveness on bacterial and fungal strains typical in the degradation of collagen and cellulose. The next three steps will concern biocidal validation tests, first “in vitro”, with a controlled study of growth cultures, and then “in vivo”, on paper and parchment samples suitably prepared for the purpose. Finally, in the last phase, an “in situ” test phase will be started, where, in the restoration laboratories involved, the nanoparticles will be applied directly to real critical cases. All phases will be monitored through chemical and physical analysis, both laboratory and non-invasive ones, in order to verify the efficacy, duration and results of the methodology.