Investigating the potential of Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) as an alternative solvent for textile conservation cleaning

Abstract

Concerns about the health and environmental impacts of some solvents used in textile conservation have signaled the need for more environmentally friendly alternatives. At the same time, “green” cleaning solvents have begun to be developed by the professional dry cleaning industry. One of these alternative solvents, a cyclic silicon-based liquid, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), may have potential for use in textile conservation, however there previously have been no studies to show how its use may impact textile artifacts. In this study, the “green” profile of D5 was reviewed, along with a look at it structure, properties and potential for solubility. A series of experiments was performed to test the effects of D5 on textiles and to examine its soil removal performance. The samples used in testing were soiled and unsoiled new cotton and wool fabrics, some of which were artificially aged. Analysis of the effect of D5 on textile substrates employed Attentuated Total Reflectance- Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, tensile strength tests, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Soil removal tests were analyzed using colorimetry and ATR-FTIR. In the results of the analysis, no appreciable difference in the condition and composition of treated and untreated samples could be detected. D5 was shown to have significant effect on nonpolar soiling. Assessment of the overall results suggests that there is potential for use of D5 within the textile conservation field, however limitations of the trials indicate a need for more research.