novel coating to preserve silver artifacts glenn gates, walters art museum, dmr 1041803

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Glenn Gates, Walters Art Museum, DMR 1041803

Outcome: Material scientists at the University of Maryland are collaborating with art conservators at the Walters Art Museum to optimize a mineral-based coating to reduce silver corrosion or tarnish and preserve silver artworks.

Impact: The coating developed by the research team will preserve silver artwork and reduce the costs to maintain silver art collections in museums worldwide.

Explanation: Silver artwork in museums is traditionally protected from tarnish or corrosion using a solvent-based barrier coating called lacquer. However, lacquers only last about 20-30 years before they must be removed and painstakingly reapplied. Alternatively, art conservators collaborating with materials scientists have developed a novel mineral-based barrier coating that lasts far more than 100 years protecting silver. Using a technique from nanotechnology called “atomic layer deposition” or ALD, an alumina (Al2O3) barrier coating is created on silver. Researchers are now examining if the ALD-alumina coating can be stripped and reapplied without damaging the underlying silver artwork.

lacqueredsilver

uncoated silver

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After exposure to tarnishing H2S vapors for 400 hours, the alumina coating continues to protect the silver, but the conventional lacquered silver coating has failed dramatically