Foam for Centuries
A reactivatable foam made from pure, age-resistant methylcellulose is being developed for cross-material bonding in conservation and restoration.
Factsheet
- Schools involved Bern Academy of the Arts
- Institute(s) Institute Materiality in Art and Culture
- Research unit(s) Conservation Techniques
- Funding organisation Innosuisse
- Duration (planned) 01.04.2026 - 31.07.2027
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Karolina Soppa
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Project staff
Alina Schmid
Dr. Nadim Scherrer -
Partner
docusave AG
Institut für Anatomie, Universität Bern
Situation
In conservation adhesives are widely used across various materials. This is because, as they age, the components of works of art and cultural artefacts can separate from each other and must be bonded together again. Although numerous adhesives are available, their composition is often unknown and subject to frequent changes. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to predict how they will age. For the best possible aging resistance, an adhesive should ideally consist of a known component, have a high degree of purity and few reactive groups, but at the same time be as polar as possible. Methylcellulose meets these requirements very well. As a liquid adhesive, it is already used in conservation and restoration. However, liquids tend to penetrate porous structures uncontrollably. The individual parts of an artwork also tend to deform over time as they disintegrate. This is why this project focuses on the development of a foam.
Course of action
Methods and Results: Foam adapts very well to an irregular, aged surface, fills cavities, and does not penetrate the original structure uncontrollably. Furthermore, it is lightweight, flexible, and does not dominate the subsequent material behaviour of the original. This project accordingly aims to produce a fine-pored, thin, reproducible and reactivatable MC foam using a purely physical process, such as vacuum freeze-drying or cold-hot foaming. After successful foam production, the project team performs quality measurements. These include foam characterisation using reflected-light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and micro-computed tomography to determine pore diameter, pore distribution and wall thickness. Another focus is on the practical application of the foams, to investigate their reactivation potential in combination with the adhesion between the materials most commonly encountered in conservation. Finally, the handling process is being documented through video, photography and written records.
