Historical material antimicrobials

Some of the chemical strategies used in weatherproofing have been applied to the preservation of cellulosics for indoor storage and display. The historical Wasa sails of 1628 were preserved by copolymerizing acrylates and styrene onto this material (36). Antimicrobial treatment of cotton goods by polymerization in situ of a urea-mercury compound with formaldehyde or immersion in a quaternary ammonium salt solution protected the fabric for up to three years storage provided it did not need to be laundered (37). 

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