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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Art masterpieces shine with the help of a spongy gel

Hydrogel’s porous structure allows it to blot dirt without eroding paint.
Cleaning of water-sensitive mock-up, before (L) and after (R).

A test painting before (left) and after cleaning with an art-friendly hydrogel. Credit: Maria Laura Petruzzellis/Peggy Guggenheim Collection of Venice

The creation of a soft, porous gel made it possible to blot dirt off the rough, textured surfaces of oil paintings by a leading twentieth-century painter without leaving a trace.

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Nature 579, 322 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00689-y

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