Stabilization of Iron Gall Ink Damaged Paper with Nanosized Magnesium Hydroxide and Antioxidants

Ink-paper historical documents, which are an important part of cultural heritage, can be damaged by various materials on the outside and the inside of the paper. Cotton fiber sheets treated with iron gall ink and then treated with stabilization materials were studied. Nanosized Mg(OH)2 was used as a deacidification material and potassium bromide, tetrabutylammonium bromide, or propyl gallate as antioxidant materials were investigated as a stabilization system for iron gall ink-damaged paper. All samples were artificially aged in the air for 150 h at 65 °C in a UV/moisture chamber or 500 h at 90 °C. The pH and alkaline reserve (AR) measurements, monitoring of color change, and scanning electron microscopy analysis data confirm that the aging effect is more destructive to the iron gall inked paper. The experiment results show that using alkaline materials with antioxidants, such as nano-Mg(OH)2 and propyl gallate, positively affects color changes of ink-damaged paper. Treatment with a stabilization system such as nanosized Mg(OH)2, a binder hydroxypropyl cellulose (Klucel), and an antioxidant as propyl gallate is a suitable method for iron gall ink damaged paper stabilization and preservation, according to the study results.