Author: Teresa Duncan

I'm a postdoc at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum Conservation Institute, where I study different materials for cleaning treatments of works on paper. My background is in polymer gels and soft materials for cleaning works of art, and I'm particularly interested in understanding how material properties (e.g., network structure, adhesion, modulus) affect the cleaning process.
Research Bite

Green slime invasion deterred by laser guns! How finely-tuned light can be used to clean marble

Laser light can be used to blast grime off stone surfaces without affecting the stone substrate underneath. Although laser cleaning can be used in conjunction with other methods to remove different types of contaminants, here we highlight an article that uses only laser cleaning to remove biofilm from a marble statue. Continue reading Green slime invasion deterred by laser guns! How finely-tuned light can be used to clean marble

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Research Bite

The MOF—a metal organic ultraporous ‘sponge’ for gaseous vinegar

A gaseous degradation product of some museum materials is acetic acid, which in turn can catalyze their own further degradation. To combat this cyclical phenomenon, molecular organic frameworks have been harnessed to preferentially capture acetic acid from the museum environment. Continue reading The MOF—a metal organic ultraporous ‘sponge’ for gaseous vinegar

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