A group of Chinese inventors have developed an innovative hydrogel that could become revolutionary in the preservation of wooden artifacts from sunken ships.
Wooden artifacts submerged in seawater deteriorate rapidly. Usually, restorers rely on lyophilization, replacing the water in the wood with carbon dioxide or polymers.
However, these methods are not without their drawbacks and can take months to complete. But the new invention dissolves over time, which eliminates the need for physical removal and reduces the risk of damage to fragile artifacts, reports Noi.md with reference to .
The newly developed hydrogel contains potassium bicarbonate, which neutralizes acids, with silver nitrate, known for its antimicrobial properties. Sodium alginate, obtained from brown algae, serves as a binder to create the gel.
Researchers tested the 800-year-old wooden creation from the Nanhai One shipwreck off China’s southern coast. They applied hydrogels with different concentrations of silver nitrate to wood samples and observed their effects.
Each hydrogel managed to neutralize acids at depths of up to one centimeter for 10 days. The researchers found that wood treated with liquefiable gels retained better cellular structure and was less brittle compared to samples treated with solid gels.
