Silver Nanoparticles in the Cultural Heritage Conservation

Abstract

Our cultural heritage is our invaluable social and environmental resource and concern. Moreover, it is a key global economic driver. However, they are subjected to deterioration process and aging. Particularly, microorganisms are nowadays considered harmful agents of biodeterioration of artistic materials due to the fact that their interactions with the material cause not only an esthetical damage due to their visible growth on the surface, but they may affect the interested materials in different ways and at different degrees via mechanical and biochemical processes leading to the formation of pitting, scaling and, in the worst scenario, to the loss of material by its detachment. To protect our shared tangible cultural heritage from biodeterioration and preserve it for future generations, several methods have been developed. Notably, using nanomaterials, with antimicrobial features, has been considered an interesting and economical method to preserve valuable heritage materials. In this chapter, we will present an overview of the decay mechanisms that participate in the deterioration of tangible artworks, in particular microorganisms’ colonization. Next, current works that have been developed to use silver nanoparticles to protect heritage items from microbial colonization and prevent their deterioration have been detailed.