Introduction

The invention consists of a new nanocomposite material, conceived and developed for the restoration of textile and artistic paper artefacts. By restoring the elastic and mechanical characteristics of the material on which it is applied, it allows the conservation of the restored work, protecting them from further photodegradation.

Technical features

The invention relates to an aqueous composition comprising chitosan and fibroin nanoparticles (diameter equal to or less than 140nm) and an acidic agent in which the aqueous composition has a pH equal to or less than 6 and a viscosity equal to or less than 3.5 kg × m – 1 × s – 1. The composition is biodegradable, its application reversible. This characteristic makes the material suitable for use as a finishing agent for most textile and paper materials, in particular for all those materials that must be subjected to mechanical stress or particular photo-oxidative stress.

Currently, the materials used in the restoration of textile and paper artefacts are often designed for the restoration of the pictorial and therefore do not take into account the specific characteristics and needs of the textile material. These are extremely invasive materials, which do not necessarily restore the properties of the materials, but more often than not they simply glue the fragile textile strands to new supports to avoid their further degradation. The present invention has been tested on paper and on textiles with protein composition and cellulosic composition.

Possible Applications

• Restoration of textile and paper products;
• Finishing or finishing agent, also at industrial level, for textile materials.

Advantages

• Kit for preparation and use of the nanomaterial;
• Nanomaterial that can be measured at the time of application;
• Restoration of the mechanical properties of the restored materials (elasticity);
• Protection of the material on which the nanomaterial is applied from further photo-oxidative stress.