  A widespread problem in libraries is related to the preservation of book
covers in leather that are often torn, powdery and abraded. The same problem is
encountered in the conservation of leather goods. Until now a satisfactory
solution to contrast the leather deterioration had not been found and the
applied conservation methods offered only temporary solutions, without
guaranteeing a real and durable effectiveness. At the Istituto centrale
restauro e conservazione patrimonio archivistico e librario (Icrcpal) it was
decided to research more durable results and to apply nanocollagen solutions to
the leather. A new synthesis of nanocollagen was performed in collaboration
with Tor Vergata University, and Fondazione INUIT and the newly synthesised
nanocollagen was characterised by different spectroscopic and imaging
techniques, then applied to laboratory samples and, at the end of the research,
it was used in the restoration of the leather cover of a 18th book. All the
measurements performed on the tested leathers did not show any colour change
after nanocollagen application, an increase of all mechanical characteristics
and, of paramount importance, an increase in the shrinkage temperature of the
leather with a partial reconstitution of its lost elasticity and flexibility.
