Ventilated Film Cans—Their Effect on the Diffusion of Decomposition By-products from Motion Picture Film
One of the major issues in film preservation is decomposition of the cellulose ester polymers used as the film base. During decomposition acid by-products are formed that will catalyze and accelerate the decomposition reaction once a certain concentration of acid, the autocatalytic point, is reached. Apart from using controlled low-temperature and relative-humidity storage to slow the reaction, removing acid by-products from the decomposing film is an approach to slowing the rate of decomposition. Encouraging diffusion of the acids away from the film base is an effective control method. Film cans are comparatively well sealed and provide a buffering effect for the internal microclimate. This sealing also reduces the ability of the decomposition acids to diffuse from the film. Punching holes in the sides of film cans to allow ventilation of the diffused gases is often practiced. This paper examines the effect of ventilation designs of film cans as a strategy in the long-term storage of motion picture film assets.
- Print ISSN
- 0036-1682
- Published
- 2002-01
- Content type
- Original Research
- DOI
- 10.5594/J16413