Recent Advances in Protective Coatings for Cultural Heritage–An Overview

Abstract

In the last decades, the interest in the development of protective coatings for movable and immovable Cultural Heritage (CH) assets has decidedly increased. This has been mainly prompted by the raising consciousness on preservation requirements for cultural artefacts and monuments, which has consequently determined the development of new protective products. From acrylic resins used at the end of the last century to the up-to-date biomaterials and nanoparticles employed nowadays, the research has made a giant step forward. This article reviews the progresses, the technical challenges, and the most recent advances in protective coatings for archaeological metal, glass, and stone artefacts. It aims at offering a comprehensive and critical overview of the progressions in conservation science and displaying how research has optimized polymers in order to solve deterioration problems. Attention is given to recently developed materials, hybrid coatings, and corrosion inhibitors. This work seeks to provide a reference point for future research and to offer a wide-ranging introduction on the newly available material technologies to restorers and conservators.

Superhydrophobic Coatings Based on Siloxane Resin and Calcium Hydroxide Nanoparticles for Marble Protection

“…Recent advances in coating materials may offer novel routes for effective and sustainable protection and preservation of natural stone used in cultural heritage [1]. For example, superhydrophobic and water repellent coating materials can offer protection against the deteriorative effects of rainwater, as they can reduce the penetration of atmospheric liquid water into the pore network of natural stone.…”

“…The goal of the present short study is to produce a superhydrophobic and water repellent siloxane-based composite coating by adding calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2 ) nanoparticles. Unlike the nanoparticles described above and those used in the past, Ca(OH) 2 is chemically compatible with limestone and limestone-like rocks (marble, travertine), which are undoubtfully the most common stones that have been used in the past [1]. Nanoparticles of Ca(OH) 2 are produced, characterized, mixed with a siloxane-based precursor in various concentrations, and sprayed onto marble specimens to evaluate the wettabilities of the produced composite coatings.…”

Formulation of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Controlled Release of Antimicrobials for Stone Preventive Conservation

“…The development of alternative strategies based on either metal or metal-oxide nanoparticles (Russo et al, 2015 , 2016 ; Qi et al, 2017 , 2019 , 2020 ; Cusimano et al, 2020 ; Yaqoob et al, 2020 ), as well as mesoporous ones (Cavallaro et al, 2018 ) and natural biocides (Fidanza and Caneva, 2019 ) has gained momentum mainly when it comes to the prevention of manufacture goods belonging to cultural heritage from chemical- or bio-deterioration phenomena (Artesani et al, 2020 ; David et al, 2020 ). Particularly, CRSs based on mesoporous materials have been developed to protect both environment and artifacts of archaeological and artistic interest (Popat et al, 2012 ; Ruggiero et al, 2019 ).…”

Present and Future Perspectives for Biocides and Antifouling Products for Stone-Built Cultural Heritage: Ionic Liquids as a Challenging Alternative

“…The first strategy involves the use of chemically active antimicrobial coatings. The second consists in the inhibition of organism settlement on the surface or in the release of settled organisms without involving chemical reactions [26][27][28][29][30][31]. Fouling-release systems have been particularly used to counter marine biocolonization [32].…”