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CSMC
CSMCCentre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures

Photo: Karsten Helmholz

Research

Multiscale materials characterisation as a function of processing methods for novel and ancient writing surfaces

2022–2025

RFA18

Palm leaves were widely used from early times all along the hot climate zones as writing surface. Silk, cotton, and linen, though primarily used for clothing, also became established writing and painting materials since early times. Unlike birchbark or palm leaf supports, which could only be manufactured in areas with certain plant species, paper could be produced wherever plants suitable for its production were found.

This project analyses the characteristics and properties of various writing surfaces, mainly focusing on different traditional papers and palm leaves from South-east Asia. Fortunately, some of these handcrafts still persist and provide valuable information on how historical objects were produced. We believe the diversity in the manufacture methods of the writing supports throughout South-east Asia is crucial to identify the origin of unknown manuscripts. Therefore, we aim to achieve a deeper understanding of the physico-chemical changes of the leaves or fibres during the manufacture processes and to link these changes to specific crafts. A variety of scientific techniques is employed to analyze the multilevel architecture of the materials and their properties:

  • By analyzing the interaction of water with paper, we can identify directionality in the cellulose fibre network, which is related to the technique used to distribute the cellulose pulp over the mold. Additionally, the dynamics of the fluid provides information on the porosity of the paper and the inter-fibre distance.
  • Light microscopy characterises fibre-bundle size distribution and orientation at the paper surface. Furthermore, we can observe the typical anatomical structure of palm leaves, showing differences in thickness and shape between palm species, as well as the structural organisation of various cell types within leaves.
  • Synchrotron radiation is a powerful tool to analyse the different architecture levels of the palm leaves, where WAXS (Wide Angle X-ray Scattering) offers information about the crystalline structures present in the plants, and SAXS (Small Angle X-ray Scattering) about the cellulose fibrils at the cell walls. Orientation and periodicity of the fibrils are related to the mechanical properties of the leaves and possibly to the manufacture process. Also, XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) is employed to unveil the chemical composition of the leaves, where elements related to additives or ink can be identified.
  • Nanoindentation is used to directly test the mechanical properties of the sample. By probing the cell wall and measuring its response, the Young modulus can be obtained.
Page of a palm leaf manuscript from Bali. The selected area was analysed using XRF. On the right, the emission intensity at 6.4 eV is shown. The high emission coinciding with the drawing indicate a high concentration of iron, possibly deposited as the incisions were created using a metallic stylus.

People

Project lead: Patrick Huber

Research Associate: Laura Gallardo Dominguez