Analytical Evaluation of Paper Degradation

In this paper the object of study was to determine the chemical nature of foxing stains in paper.The purpose of our study was to deepen the knowledge on the paper with special emphasis on foxing stains, their chemical nature and morphological aspects of foxing stains in paper.The methods used are photography under different illuminations and optical microscopy. The presence of fibers disruption was observed with scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), it was used Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was also used. Micro X-ray diffraction was used to evaluate the crystalline fillers in the sample. Mass Spectrometry was used for chemical analysis to identify the organic components and different classes of organic compounds.From this study we conclude: unfoxed areas and foxed areas of paper samples showed no differences from a morphological point of view. The unfoxed areas do not present disruption of fibers or accumulation of particles. The sample’ surface was structurally organized, paper fibers seem to be in good condition, without any visible disturbance. The combination of several non-destructive techniques allowed the characterization of paper composition and the evaluation of morphological aspects