The Effect of Dry- Heat and Moist-Heat Aging on Properties of Historical Papers Treated with Cellulose Nanofibers

Various destructive factors gradually degrade paper due to its structural properties. For this reason, it is necessary to apply consolidation treatments for strengthening the degraded papers. In this study, cellulose nanofibers with a concentrate of 1% by weight were prepared as a suspension with water to consolidate the paper, then used to treat the samples. The samples were exposed to dry-heat and moist-heat aging to evaluate the treatment effects. pH measuring, colorimetric, and tensile strength tests were performed before and after aging. The results showed that the pH of the cellulose nanofibers treated samples increased. After dry-heat and moist-heat aging, the pH of the samples decreased slightly. Cellulose nanofiber treatment increased the tensile strength of the samples. However, after two stages of aging, the tensile strength of the samples has reduced compared to the previous stage. The application of cellulose nanofiber treatment made the color of the samples brighter, but after aging, the brightness of the samples decreased.