Photodegradation behaviour of synthetic paint binders: comparative study of selected acrylic, alkyd, PVAc and nitrocellulose products

Kinga Klemińska; Mirosław Wachowiak

doi:10.14568/cp39265

Authors

Kinga Klemińska Academia Copernicana Interdisciplinary Doctoral School, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Sienkiewicza 30/32, 87-100 Toruń, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0668-8018
Mirosław Wachowiak Department of Conservation-Restoration of Modern and Contemporary Art, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Sienkiewicza 30/32, 87-100 Toruń, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6638-8613

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14568/cp39265

Keywords:

Contemporary art, Modern paints, Synthetic binding media, Light ageing, FTIR, Colourimetry

Abstract

Modern and contemporary artworks often present complex conservation challenges due to the widespread use of synthetic paints and the diversity of their formulations. This study investigates changes induced by photodegradation in selected commercial products representing four major classes of synthetic binders − acrylic, alkyd, polyvinyl acetate, and nitrocellulose − commonly used in twentieth-century painting. Samples of artistic paints, polymer dispersions, alkyd enamels, and nitrocellulose varnish were artificially aged under UV radiation and examined by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, colourimetry, and digital microscopy. The results revealed distinct degradation patterns within and between binder classes, including variable colour shifts and characteristic spectral changes linked to oxidation and polymer chain scission. The findings emphasise the influence of diverse paint formulation factors, seen as a whole system, on material stability and the need for reference spectra of aged materials to support identification in conservation studies. The research forms part of a broader project on synthetic paint binders in post-war Polish art.

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