As part of a secure storage vault renovation which is designed to have a relatively low air turnover, we have been examining and testing a range of building and construction materials for their suitability and level of risk to the collection. The vast majority of tested materials were found to fail the Oddy metal coupon test, often in a rather unusual or spectacular manner. We have since been examining the compounds emitted by these materials and how they interact with the metal coupons. Through the use of thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry, we are able to identify and quantify the compounds emitted from a material. In addition, other analytical tools are being utilized to examine what compounds are depositing or have reacted at the surface of the Oddy test coupons during exposure to elevated temperatures and humidity. Coordinating and comparing these chemical analyses with the results from the Oddy test are improving our ability to understand the mechanism(s) behind the failure of the Oddy test and, in turn, guide future product selection.<br/>While the goal of this screening is to select materials that produce a minimal risk to the collection, this risk often cannot be entirely removed by product choice alone (i.e. all tested materials damage a metal coupon to some extent). As a means of mitigating the residual risk from volatiles, we are also examining and characterizing commercially available sorbent materials for their selectivity, capacity, functionality and adsorption/desorption characteristics.

Towards understanding the basis of Oddy test failures via volatile organics and other analytical analyses

254th National Meeting (2017)

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