The influence of gamma irradiation on the color change of wool, linen, silk, and cotton fabrics used in cultural heritage artifacts

Abstract Fabrics made of wool, linen, silk, and cotton, which are used in the making of artifacts of cultural heritage, were divided into three groups. The first group wasn’t dyed, the second group was dyed with natural dye (using sour cherry), and the third one was dyed with artificial aniline dye. For the conservation purposes, all samples were exposed at ambient temperature to gamma radiation doses, from 0.5 to 25 kGy, using a Co-60 irradiator. The influence of gamma irradiation treatment on the color changes was investigated. The obtained results revealed that the irradiation affects the color changes in all samples. All samples became more or less darker under the influence of gamma irradiation. This change in darkness is most pronounced in samples dyed with natural colors. Also, the highest differences in color change and darkness were observed in linen samples.