Flax from past to present

What do mummy strips and the hull of a boat have in common? Both contain flax fibres!
Much appreciated by the Egyptians, this plant material with its many qualities is now being studied with a view to designing more eco-friendly materials.
To evaluate the resistance of flax fibers, a team of scientists came to SOLEIL, notably on the DISCO beamline, to study the state of degradation of very old textiles from different environments. The information obtained will be used to model the ageing of linen, providing valuable markers for anticipating fibre degradation. And the industrial sectors likely to be interested are numerous.