Investigating the deterioration and corrosion of ancient Iranian manuscript using ion beam analysis techniques

In this study, few number of pages from an ancient manuscript that have undergone significant damage, were analyzed using micro-ion beam techniques, including micro-PIXE, micro-RBS, and micro-STIM to identify the factors responsible for the deterioration of these manuscripts. The micro-PIXE results indicate that the yellow decoration ink that has suffered severe corrosion is composed of a combination of Cu and Zn pigments. Moreover, the micro-PIXE analysis reveals that copper is the main element that forms the decoration of this manuscript. The studying the various copper pigments, it was discovered that one of the copper pigment types, which is made up of copper mineral elements, is verdigris or copper acetate (II) with the chemical formula Cu (CH۳COO)۲. This pigment is highly susceptible to environmental moisture. As a result, favorable environmental conditions such as optimal humidity and elemental composition like copper can cause local oxidation of paper to destroys the paper substrate. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the black ink used to write the text in this manuscript is carbon-based and does not contribute to the corrosion of the paper. However, the micro-RBS analysis indicates that the ink has fully permeated and diffused in the bulk of paper and it increased the corrosion effect.

کلیدواژه ها:

ancient manuscript ، ink and paper ، micro-PIXE ، micro-RBS ، pigment