Acid-free paper durable acid-free paper. Archival paper is meant to be used for publications of high legal, historical, or significant value. In the USA, such paper must also be approved in accordance with the ANSI standards. The international standard for "permanent" paper is ISO 9706 and for "archival" paper, the standard is ISO 11108. Often, cotton rag paper is used for archival purposes, as it is not made from wood-based pulp. Thus, "archival paper" is sometimes broken down into two categories: Acid-free paper Acid-free paper is paper that if infused in water yields a neutral or basic pH (7 or slightly greater).
Polyacrylic acid Polyacrylic acid Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA; trade name Carbomer) is a synthetic high-molecular weight polymers of acrylic acid. The IUPAC name is poly(1-carboxyethylene. They may be homopolymers of acrylic acid, or crosslinked with an allyl ether of pentaerythritol, allyl ether of sucrose, or allyl ether of propylene. In a water solution at neutral pH, PAA is an anionic polymer, i.e. many of the side chains of PAA will lose their protons and acquire a negative charge. This makes PAAs polyelectrolytes, with the ability to absorb and retain water and swell to many times their original volume. Dry PAAs are sold as