Paper artifacts have unique cultural and historical values. However, over time, many paper artifacts appear with disease characteristics such as embrittlement and photoaging, losing the most fundamental function of the literature archive. The reinforcement handling of degraded paper artifacts is, therefore, a necessary measure to extend their service life, the key to which lies in the reinforcement and prevention of photoaging. This paper intended to use graphene oxide (GO) as a UV protective agent, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a reinforcement, and polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a modifier. In this work, the amino-modified graphene oxide carboxymethyl cellulose composite (CMC-aGO) was prepared by chemical modification, which was used as bifunctional paper protection material with anti-ultraviolet and reinforcement. It showed excellent performance in both tensile strength testing and UV resistance testing. The CMC-aGO raw material is low cost, colorless, transparent, simple to synthesize, convenient to operate, and is an excellent conservation material with dual functions of UV aging protection and paper reinforcement.

Paper documents are an important carrier of information related to human civilization, with the reinforcement and protection of fragile paper documents being a key aspect of their protection. This research utilized amphoteric polyvinylamine polymer as a paper reinforcement agent, strengthening the Xuan paper commonly used in paper documents. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), solid-state 13C NMR, and other analytical methods were employed to compare the physical properties, micro-morphology, crystallinity, and aging resistance of the paper before and after reinforcement. Research was conducted on the effects of reinforcement, the aging resistance, and the effects on the fiber structure. The results indicate that polyethylenimine has a filling and bridging effect between the paper fibers. After treatment with polyethylenimine, there was a significant improvement in the folding endurance and tensile strength of the paper. Additionally, the paper maintains a good mechanical strength even after undergoing dry heat and humid aging.

The scroll paintings for ancestor trees have been used to inherit the spirit of ancestor worship as a historical record of family development since the late Ming Dynasty in China. A severely degraded scroll painting of an ancestor tree (made of cotton textiles) needs intervention and conservation treatment to mitigate further deterioration. On the basis of the previously reported characterization results for the painting, in this paper, a suspension that is composed of 0.6% cellulose nanofibril (CNF) and nanosized 0.15% MgO in aqueous solvent (denoted as the CNF-MgO susairpension) was prepared. Conventional characterization methods were used to assess the properties of model samples before and after treatment with the CNF-MgO suspension, as well as before and after degradation under two sets of conditions. The results show that the treated model samples are slightly alkaline, given the deposit of alkaline particles, and demonstrate good mechanical properties before and after degradation due to the increase in fiber-to-fiber bond and mitigation of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. In spite of the non-transparency of CNF and MgO nanoparticles, they have little impact on the optical properties of textiles, as verified by transmittance data and the determination of color changes. This suspension was then used to reinforce and restore the scroll painting in a practical conservation process. The application of CNF and MgO nanoparticles on textile objects investigated in this study would expand our understanding of the conservation of such objects, especially for those that have already become acidic and degraded.

In the surface protection of stone and brick cultural heritage, a primary challenge is that traditional polymeric coatings are prone to photooxidative degradation under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and the resulting aged fragments readily block the substrate micropores, leading to a loss of “breathability”. To address the performance conflict among waterproofing, breathability, and weather resistance, this study prepared few-layer Ti₃C₂T_X MXene using a minimally intensive layer delamination (MILD) method. The poor compatibility between MXene and the fluorosilicone (FPS) resin matrix was effectively resolved through covalent modification with a silane coupling agent (KH-550). Results demonstrate that at an ultralow loading (0.5 wt%), the functionalized f-MXene is uniformly dispersed within the resin. This structure not only spontaneously constructs a hierarchical rough architecture on the surface that imparts high hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 131.6°), but its internal “labyrinth effect” also effectively blocks corrosive media. Simultaneously, the intrinsic water vapor transmission rate of the substrate is effectively maintained (with a reduction of less than 3%), and no visually perceptible color difference is generated (∆E = 1.2). Mechanically, f-MXene relies on interfacial interactions to act as a “nano-skeleton” for stress transfer, thereby increasing the uniaxial compressive strength of fragile limestone by 32.4%. Optical and spectroscopic characterizations further elucidate its anti-aging mechanism: f-MXene not only provides broadband UV shielding but also exhibits highly efficient radical scavenging activity during long-term UV aging. After 400 h of aging, the concentrations of hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals within the system are significantly reduced, blocking the photooxidative chain reaction from the source. This work develops a composite protective material system for stone cultural heritage that simultaneously integrates high moisture permeability, minimal visual intervention, and long-term antioxidant performance.