Alice Elia*, Mark Dowsett**, Gareth Jones**, Annemie Adriaens*
* Ghent University, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ghent, Belgium,(
** University of Warwick, Department of Physics, Coventry, UK
Abstract
This paper describes the use of ethanolic solutions for the deposition of carboxylate coatings on copper, with the objective of developing an environmentally friendly, reversible and retreatable coating for archaeological objects. The coatings were characterized with optical and electron microscopy and electrochemical tests were performed to compare the corrosion currents before and after the application of the coating on standard copper coupons. Preliminary results suggest that the treatment of copper with carboxylic acid solutions in ethanol with more than 10 carbon atoms, and pH 7–7.5, improves the corrosion resistance of copper. Nevertheless the use of ethanolic solutions of carboxylic acids is not suitable for use on cultural heritage material because of the irreproducibility of the results and the blue colour of the copper carboxylate.
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