Spatial and temporal distribution of water in collagen and parchments by real-time neutron radiography

Parchment was widely used as a writing medium from the 2nd century BC until the 17th CE. Although parchment has demonstrated its longevity as a bearer of our written history, it is still be prone to damage leading to the loss of the artefacts. To date, there are no accepted methods available to conservators to repair parchment. Our proposal focuses on the re-engineering of natural glycation cross-links that are present in all collagens using methods translated from Tissue Engineering. Our consolidation approach focuses on binding water within the collagen fibrils by glycation, while restoring the ultrastructure of damaged fibrils using a novel Collagen-Filler Peptide (CPF). Here, we propose to quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of water resulting from our new consolidation treatment in both collagen scaffold models and in-situ archival parchments.