No Such Thing as
Malignant Plastics

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City holds a wide variety of polymer-based objects in its collections, from one-of-a-kind artworks to consumer products. Following up on an earlier survey from 2012, I worked with the museum’s conservators in August of 2023 to perform a survey and material analysis on approximately 60 collections objects, with the goal of accurately identifying as many polymers present in the collection as possible. The ambitious project exposed me to how a major institution treats and stores its polymer-based objects and culminated in the creation of a bespoke plastics identification kit.

The Project

Background

Founded in 1897 by Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt, the granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s remit is to collect and care for important and impactful objects of design.

As indelible materials of the 20th century design narrative, its Product Design and Decorative Arts curatorial department is filled with examples of natural (horn, tortoiseshell) and early plastics such as those made of cellulose derivatives and formaldehyde-based resins (i.e., Bakelite). Modern plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane foams have consistently made their way into the collection over time. As today the museum collects a wide variety of objects, an impressive range of plastics in varying conditions are present both on display and in museum storage.

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outside of those who have been provided a link to this page.

Model 547 Radio, 1940 (CH 2018.22.79)
Photos used under Cooper Hewitt’s public access policy

iPod, 2001 (CH 2009.49.1)

Methods

Plastics are made from varying proportions and mixtures of polymers and additives and can be nearly impossible to distinguish from one another, even if their degradation phenomena and aesthetic qualities appear nearly identical. Collections objects were analyzed using portable Raman and Fourier-transfer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.

While many objects in our survey were identified with confidence, matches using FTIR were not always straightforward. Plasticizers and other additives can obscure spectra, rendering confident identification nearly impossible. Compounding the complexity of the task is the fact that many objects are made of composite materials.

Though ATR-FTIR is a very useful technique for bulk polymer identification, not all collections objects are suitable for this technique due to their size, shape, and/or condition, among other factors. It thus became vital to use a three-pronged approach: considering historical context along with sensory information and the use of scientific analysis to accurately determine polymers.

Considering Preventive Conservation

It’s no secret to cultural heritage professionals that plastics present unique challenges when it comes to storage and display. As plastics can be degraded by many factors, including light, ultraviolet radiation, oxygen, water, heat, and pollutants, museums focus on slowing degradation as much as possible by controlling temperature and relative humidity, employing oxygen scavengers (i.e., silica gel), and/or placing objects in cool, cold, or anoxic storage. Since no single strategy works for all plastics, considering these points on a case-by-case basis is an important part of caring for plastic objects.

The Plastics Identification
& Reference Kit

An integral part of plastics identification is a familiarity with the smell, texture, weight, and other kinesthetic properties of plastics. If expensive scientific analytical equipment is unavailable, this kit can provide those working with plastics an opportunity to form a more sensory-based understanding of these materials . In addition, the the objects in the kit can be sampled so that a reference library can be created by the user. With nearly a decade of experience as a product designer, I am excited to continue this project and hope it will eventually contribute to the efficacy of identifying polymers in cultural heritage collections.

User-Friendliness

Offering a reference kit which centers the user experience is an important aspect of designing this product. While in recent years several other kits have made their way onto the market, this one will communicate the most important information via a clear, user-friendly design.

Variety of Samples

Providing users with a variety of samples which aren’t precious opens up the possibilities of creating one’s own reference spectra library. In the future, a centralized library may be developed.

Degraded Samples

Artworks age. A kit of pristine samples would do little for a conservator faced with a degrading polyurethane foam rug by Piero Gilardi, for example. These samples can not only help identify polymers but elucidate how these materials change chemically over time.

No Such Thing as Malignant Plastics