Study of deterioration of historical parchments by various thermal analysis techniques complemented by SEM, FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR and unilateral NMR investigations

A comprehensive investigation has been made of a set of 14(th) to 16(th)-century parchment bookbindings from the Historical Archives of the City of Turin. Advanced physico-chemical techniques, such as thermal analysis (DSC, TG and DTA), spectroscopy (FTIR and UV-Vis-NIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and unilateral nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR-ProFiler) were employed to assess specific deterioration processes occurring at different levels in the hierarchical structure of parchment. Changes in the measured physical and chemical parameter values of parchment due to interaction with the environment were used to identify possible deterioration pathways.