Cold plasma has recently gained increasing prominence across various scientific fields, and its effects are becoming increasingly well recognized within the field of conservation and restoration. One of the major challenges is microbial biodeterioration, in which the activity of microorganisms causes alterations at the aesthetic, chemical and physical levels. Therefore, this master's thesis investigated the effects of cold plasma on the spores and mycelium of moulds, which are common colonizers of canvas paintings – Aspergillus creber, Aspergillus jensenii, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Cladosporium cladosporioides. All four isolates were tested in a system with four inductively coupled plasma sources (4ICP system) on egg tempera on canvas. The A. creber isolate was also tested in a low-pressure inductively coupled plasma system and in atmospheric plasma on linseed oil samples. In addition to the impact on mould structures, we examined the effect of cold plasma on the chemical composition of the pigments alizarin krapplack, Prussian blue, zinc white, and lead white, as well as the egg binder. Using fluorescence and light microscopy, together with ImageJ analysis, we found that cold plasma reduced subsequent fungal growth from spores and caused damage to the hyphae of all four mould isolates. Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed unchanged chemical structures of alizarin krapplack, zinc white, and lead white pigments, while Prussian blue showed possible formation of hematite and goethite. Under certain treatment conditions, the egg binder exhibited initial stages of ageing.
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