Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42514833›Full record

ReviewPolymers2026

Redefining Stability in Cultural Heritage Through Polymer Design: From Conservation Strategies to Plastic Degradation.

Elisabetta Ranucci, Jenny Alongi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Polymers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Elisabetta RanucciDipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6402-2650
Jenny AlongiDipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1912-5191

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Polymers play a central and multifaceted role in cultural heritage science, serving both as functional materials in conservation treatments, such as cleaning, consolidation, adhesion and protection, and as constituents of a wide range of historical artefacts, including paper and canvas, waterlogged wooden wrecks, musical instruments, and modern plastics used in art. Although numerous studies have examined the use of polymers in archaeology and cultural heritage conservation, most have focused on specific polymers, individual conservation treatments, or categories of artefacts. A comprehensive and integrated assessment of the multifunctional role of polymers, both as conservation materials and as constituents of heritage objects, remains lacking. The aim of this review is to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of natural and synthetic polymers in cultural heritage science, examining their applications in conservation treatments, their long-term stability and aging, and the challenges and opportunities associated with their preservation and sustainable use. This review examines the main classes of natural and synthetic polymers used in conservation, evaluating their mechanisms of action, performance, limitations, and long-term behavior across different applications. It also examines the chemical decomposition pathways and the resulting degradation phenomena occurring in polymeric materials, both as conservation products and as constituents of cultural artefacts, together with current stabilization strategies aimed at mitigating aging and deterioration. This review provides a critical appraisal of current challenges and future perspectives in cultural heritage conservation, highlighting emerging trends and research directions for the development of more effective, sustainable, and compatible polymer-based solutions for cultural heritage conservation.

Indexed as

adhesivescellulosecoatingsconsolidantsfunctional polymersmodern plasticspolymeric gelspolymers for Cultural Heritagewood

Identifiers

PMID42514833
PMCPMC13418822

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.