Ageing of phenolic-foam based artworks in modern and contemporary art: towards the understanding by means of FTIR-ATR

This contribution is part of a wider research project performed at the Institute for Conservation-Restoration, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, which includes other two studies on phenolic foam (Diploma Thesis by Aeschi S. and Diploma Thesis by Herold L.). Amongst the wide variety of synthetic organic materials employed in the field of modern and contemporary art, phenolic-foam (PF) has found an application in the production of 3-dimensional artworks as a rigid foam that can be formed or sculpted into different shapes. Its properties and visual appearance can seem so similar to aged polyurethane (PUr) based foam that the two may be easily confused.
For understanding the chemical stability of this type of material, key to formulating an appropriate concept for conservation-restoration, accelerated artificial ageing studies based on the use of light in the Ultraviolet A - Visible (UVA-Vis) range, were performed on commercial phenolic-foam materials. The unaged and aged materials were analysed through Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflection mode (FTIR-ATR).
The present work aims to discuss a type of foam material used in modern and contemporary art, which has been little studied to date. The main degradation process and phenomena in the two considered case studies and explored by scientific investigations are fundamental part of the current presentation.