Nanoscience applications for the preservation and conservation of manuscripts and paper-based cultural heritage: a review

Manuscripts and paper-based cultural heritage are among the most fragile historical materials, highly susceptible to degradation caused by acidity, environmental pollutants, biological activity, and ink–substrate interactions. Conventional conservation approaches, particularly polymer-based consolidants, often suffer from long-term incompatibility, leading to embrittlement, discoloration, and blocked porosity. In response, nanoscience and nanotechnology have emerged as transformative tools by enabling conservation treatments that operate at the same scale as the underlying degradation processes. This review critically examines nanoscience-based strategies for manuscript preservation, with emphasis on deacidification, consolidation, and ink stabilization. Key classes of nanomaterials including hydroxide nanoparticles, metal oxides, carbon-based nanostructures, and emerging biocompatible systems are analyzed in terms of their mechanisms of action, advantages, and limitations. The role of nanoscale analytical techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy, synchrotron-based methods, FTIR, and AFM in diagnosing degradation and evaluating treatment efficacy is also discussed. Selected manuscript-focused case studies, alongside comparative examples from wall paintings, illustrate how specific nanomaterial properties address defined degradation challenges. By integrating recent advances and mechanistic insights, this review highlights current challenges related to long-term stability, sustainability, and ethical application, and outlines future directions involving green nanotechnology and multifunctional materials for the responsible preservation of manuscript heritage.