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Gels
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Gel Materials for Heritage Conservation
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Gel Materials for Heritage Conservation

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 2466

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Emiliano Carretti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff” & CSGI Consortium, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Interests: analytical chemistry; gel material; chemistry of the environment and cultural heritage
Dr. Rosangela Mastrangelo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and CSGI, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Interests: polymer hydrogels; organogels; soft matter; cultural heritage conservation; laser confocal microscopy; fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
Dr. Damiano Bandelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Interests: polymer synthesis; polymer characterization; polymer networks; gels; cultural heritage preservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The conservation and preservation of cultural heritage is of the utmost importance to safeguarding humanity’s rich history and promoting cultural continuity. Gel materials have emerged as valuable tools in heritage conservation owing to their unique properties, facilitating controlled cleaning, consolidation, and the protection of various types of historic artifacts. Hydrogels, for instance, exhibit excellent solvent retention abilities and are effective in cleaning fragile surfaces. Organogels, on the other hand, provide enhanced penetration abilities, making them suitable for consolidating porous materials.

Furthermore, the selection of appropriate gel materials depends on factors such as the type of artifact, desired cleaning mechanism, and compatibility with the substrate. Gel materials have revolutionized the field of heritage conservation, offering efficient and safe methods of preserving and restoring cultural artifacts.

This Special Issue, entitled “Gel Materials for Heritage Conservation”, aims comprehensively discuss the various applications of different types of gels for the cleaning, protection, and consolidation of works of art (from murals to canvas paintings, metal objects, and paper artworks, comprising both classic and modern/contemporary art).

We expect that key actors in the field will contribute to this discussion according to their areas of expertise, covering different types of gels such as hydrogels, organogels, emulgels, aerogels and gel-like materials.

Dr. Emiliano Carretti
Dr. Rosangela Mastrangelo
Dr. Damiano Bandelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • advanced gel materials
  • hydrogels
  • organogels
  • eco-sustainable materials
  • gel analytical chemistry
  • cultural heritage preservation
  • cleaning, consolidation, and protection

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 5637 KiB  
Article
Gel Cleaning in Heritage: Comparison of the Water Release among Gels and Traditional Pads
by Antonio Sansonetti, Cristiano Riminesi, Sónia Mironiouk, Noemi Proietti, Valeria Di Tullio, Roberto Nisticò, Barbara Sacchi and Carmen Canevali
Gels 2024, 10(11), 708; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10110708 - 2 Nov 2024
Viewed by 609
Abstract
Water release is a crucial aspect when considering cleaning effects on water-sensitive materials. In conservation practice, a water-based cleaning method which limits water release is very often needed. Unfortunately, this is not accompanied by an appropriate measure of the effectively released water. In [...] Read more.
Water release is a crucial aspect when considering cleaning effects on water-sensitive materials. In conservation practice, a water-based cleaning method which limits water release is very often needed. Unfortunately, this is not accompanied by an appropriate measure of the effectively released water. In this paper, water release has been measured by comparing traditional cleaning formulations, such as paper pulp and sepiolite, with several gar gel formulations, used by both Italian and European conservators. The assessment has been carried out by the gravimetric method, using three different stone material specimens as reference: Noto calcarenite, Manciano sandstone and Black Bergamo limestone, whose porosity values and distributions are known. Moreover, water distribution has been evaluated by portable NMR tests. Different commercial agar gel products (Bresciani, CTS, Sigma), having different concentrations (3, 4, and 5%), application modes (rigid at room T or fluid warm gels, with and without inserting Japanese tissue paper), and geometry (horizontal in gravity force direction or vertical), have been compared to obtain a full scenario among different water release mechanisms present in real conservation works. The paper faces the important issue of preparing reproducible chemical or water pads as well, useful for further research aimed at comparing cleaning effects in heritage conservation. The most interesting quantitative results can be summarized as follows. The water release measured from paper pulp and sepiolite was found to be 2 to 4 times higher than from any tested agar gel. Water release decreases by increasing agar concentration; an increase in the agar concentration by 1% induces a decrease in water release in the range 16.98–66.88 g depending on the stone; the increase from 4% to 5% is more obvious with respect to that from 3% to 4%. It is possible to assess the effect of the presence of Japanese paper, which is able to reduce the water release from 18 to 76%, depending on the stone and on the agar used. The gravimetric results were also used in the preliminary calibration tests of a contact probe named System Unit Salinity Index (SUSI), recently patented and useful in providing humidity and salinity indexes in a given porous material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gel Materials for Heritage Conservation)
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Review

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35 pages, 19326 KiB  
Review
A Review on Traditional and Artificial Intelligence-Based Preservation Techniques for Oil Painting Artworks
by Salman Khalid, Muhammad Muzammil Azad, Heung Soo Kim, Yanggi Yoon, Hanhyoung Lee, Kwang-Soon Choi and Yoonmo Yang
Gels 2024, 10(8), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10080517 - 6 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1456
Abstract
Oil paintings represent significant cultural heritage, as they embody human creativity and historical narratives. The preservation of these invaluable artifacts requires effective maintenance practices to ensure their longevity and integrity. Despite their inherent durability, oil paintings are susceptible to mechanical damage and chemical [...] Read more.
Oil paintings represent significant cultural heritage, as they embody human creativity and historical narratives. The preservation of these invaluable artifacts requires effective maintenance practices to ensure their longevity and integrity. Despite their inherent durability, oil paintings are susceptible to mechanical damage and chemical deterioration, necessitating rigorous conservation efforts. Traditional preservation techniques that have been developed over centuries involve surface treatment, structural stabilization, and gel-based cleaning to maintain both the integrity and aesthetic appeal of these artworks. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered predictive maintenance techniques offer innovative solutions to predict and prevent deterioration. By integrating image analysis and environmental monitoring, AI-based models provide valuable insights into painting preservation. This review comprehensively analyzes traditional and AI-based techniques for oil painting maintenance, highlighting the importance of adopting innovative approaches. By integrating traditional expertise with AI technology, conservators can enhance their capacity to maintain and preserve these cultural treasures for future generations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gel Materials for Heritage Conservation)
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