Micelle, microemulsions, and gels for the conservation of cultural heritage

•We present the use of nanotechnologies for the cleaning of works of art.•The use of liquid nanostructured systems and gels for surface cleaning is shown.•This approach minimises the impact of the cleaning action onto the treated support.

Past restorations performed with acrylic and vinyl polymers showed detrimental effects to wall paintings that lead to the complete disfiguration of the painted surfaces. The removal of these materials performed with the traditional solvent-based methodology represents a real challenge to conservators and usually achieves very poor results. This review reports on the new palette, nowadays available to restorers, based on microemulsions, micellar systems, physical and chemical gels specifically formulated for the cleaning of cultural heritage artefacts. These systems have been developed in the last twenty years within the cultural framework of colloids and surface science.

Graphical abstractComplex fluids (micelles, microemulsions and gels) as innovative tools for the cleaning and the conservation of cultural heritage.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide