Restoring artwork with nanostructured fluids Available to Purchase

The first step in framing a watercolor, charcoal sketch, or other work on paper is to mount it on a mat by means of hinges. In the 19th century and earlier, hinges were made of paper backed with glue. By the middle of the 20th century, framers began to use the newly available pressure-sensitive tape or, to use a more familiar name, sticky tape. Old sticky tape can discolor an artwork, and if it was misapplied, disfigure it. Removing old tape is tricky. Pulling it off could damage the paper. Using a solvent to dissolve the tape risks leaving a watermark. To tackle the challenge, Nicole Bonelli of the University of Florence and her collaborators have developed an approach based on a hydrogel and nanostructured droplets. The hydrogel consists of a covalently linked polymer network that holds water. A conservator can shape a rectangular piece of the gel so that...