The most important part of the archives of libraries and museums of each country are the historical papers that can be damage by various factors. Chemical damaging agents of paper such as oxidation and acidic hydrolysis effects have always been a major challenge for refiners and researchers in the field. Nanotechnology is one of the most effective and innovative tools to reduce the rate of degradation. In this study, we tried to use titanium oxide/zinc oxide/cationic starch nanocomposite to prevent the oxidation process. For this purpose, titanium oxide/zinc oxide nanocomposite as well as cationic starch were applied. Herein, in addition to stopping the oxidation process, de-acidification and consolidation were also observed at the same time. Also, in this method by several steps were combined in a single step that could be led to saving in the material consumption and time. Various instrumental analysis such as infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy images, paper tensile strength measurements and accelerated thermal aging were used to investigate the chemical and physical properties. The results showed that the coating of paper with titanium oxide/zinc oxide/cationic starch nanocomposite in compare with titanium oxide/ zinc oxide nanocomposite and cationic starch was more effective and approved as an antioxidant agent.
Insects are the most important class of the animal kingdom in terms of the number of species and include 2/3 of the known species. In addition to the abundance of species, they also rank first among animal groups in terms of the level of distribution and reproductive power of species. Living in different climatic and geographical conditions is a normal and almost universal thing for insects due to their small size and very diverse adaptations. The high reproductive power and wide distribution level and the possibility of various adaptations of the morphometric, physiological and biological type have made these animals one of the resistant and invincible vital factors in nature. Meanwhile, historical-cultural collections, given their special conditions, are no exception to this rule and require specialized studies in this field. In the initial and field studies of the library of the Niavaran Archaeological-Cultural Collection, severe insect pests were observed, so that the carpets of the collection were damaged due to the attack of insect pests. Therefore, in the first step, the pests of the collection were examined and identified, and then the damaged parts were disinfected. In this article, the various steps from diagnosis and identification to disinfection will be presented.
The expansion of the scope of ideas and discussions of conservation and restoration, as an interdisciplinary field, in today's world is in harmony with the growth of science in other branches and fields. This movement and flow cause new categories and concepts to enter the theoretical foundations and literature of this field every day. The birth of new ideas and concepts itself causes a change in the view of issues that previously seemed obvious and unchanged. The nature of the movement towards expanding the boundaries of thought and considerations in the science of conservation and restoration leads to the emergence of new perspectives and the proposal of new issues that, in turn, can be effective in judging and evaluating the measures designed and carried out. Studying and reflecting on the new ideas and perspectives raised in the field of conservation and restoration of historical-cultural objects shows a large gap in the country's collection of awareness and knowledge of conservation and restoration regarding the relationship between the audience and the restorer, which was the main factor in choosing and addressing the subject of the present article. On the other hand, some have pointed out that building an audience is not a one-time thing. An audience is always subject to loss and gain, and as a result, a direct and lasting relationship between the artist and his audience is essential. By measuring each of these factors in Iran, we encounter shortcomings in the audience-building process, especially in the field of cultural heritage.
The Iron Age in Iran (550-1450 BC) and beyond, represents a period characterized by significant social, cultural, economic and technological transformations during its evolutionary stages. Zavarehvar is an Iron Age settlement site located in the Varamin plain in central region of Iran, where numerous excavations have been carried out by various archeologists in recent decades. During the 2017 excavation at the Zavarehvar site, a number of gray pottery pieces related to burials were discovered. Given the distribution of the Iron Age cemeteries and the limited technical studies conducted on these potteries, our understanding of the production methods such as texture, components, and manufacturing processes is crucial for comprehending the pottery production technology of this specific period. Therefore, the results from laboratory studies can be beneficial in finding the production process of these artifacts. This research aimed to provide more precise knowledge for conducting comparative studies and determining the local origin of these artifacts by examining nine Iron Age pottery samples from this region using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and petrographic analysis of thin sections. The results indicated that the main phases of the potteries, based on petrography, include quartz (SiO2), and calcite. The ICP-MS results also largely confirmed some of the petrographic observations. However, a significant part of the chemical clustering of ceramics was not due to heterogeneity in elemental composition, nor to differences in the clay sources used. Additionally, we can say that the potteries are local origin, since the soils studied showed significant similarities in trace elements with the pottery samples, confirming their local origin.
