Treatments based on crystalline and microfibrillated nanocellulose from tunicates for the protection and reinforcement of burnt medieval paper leaves

The aim of this thesis project is to corroborate the efficiency of the nanocellulose application on burned paper to increase the mechanical properties and manageability of fragile, damaged paper. In this project, we will test hydroalcoholic suspensions of nanocellulose from tunicates that will be applied on suitable mock-ups. These consist of paper samples, both sized and unsized, produced according to traditional medieval handcrafted techniques and burnt in a controlled way on a hot plate. The chemical and physical properties of the burned paper samples before and after the application are going to be analyzed via different spectroscopies (Raman and micro-FTIR), and mechanical properties are going to be tested via the ‘Critical Folding Angle’ method, specifically designed in previous works for the application to fragile, burnt paper samples.