Sustainable Secondary-Raw Materials, Natural Substances and Eco-Friendly Nanomaterial-Based Approaches for Improved Surface Performances: An Overview of What They Are and How They Work

Abstract

To meet modern society’s requirements for sustainability and environmental protection, innovative and smart surface coatings are continually being developed to improve or impart surface functional qualities and protective features. These needs regard numerous different sectors, such as cultural heritage, building, naval, automotive, environmental remediation and textiles. In this regard, researchers and nanotechnology are therefore mostly devoted to the development of new and smart nanostructured finishings and coatings featuring different implemented properties, such as anti-vegetative or antibacterial, hydrophobic, anti-stain, fire retardant, controlled release of drugs, detection of molecules and mechanical resistance. A variety of chemical synthesis techniques are usually employed to obtain novel nanostructured materials based on the use of an appropriate polymeric matrix in combination with either functional doping molecules or blended polymers, as well as multicomponent functional precursors and nanofillers. Further efforts are being made, as described in this review, to carry out green and eco-friendly synthetic protocols, such as sol–gel synthesis, starting from bio-based, natural or waste substances, in order to produce more sustainable (multi)functional hybrid or nanocomposite coatings, with a focus on their life cycle in accordance with the circular economy principles.

From Nanoparticles to Gels: A Breakthrough in Art Conservation Science

“…Current and future challenges are focused on the development of fully sustainable technologies to cope with the demands of the Green Deal. Therefore, the use of sustainable secondary raw materials, natural substances, and eco-friendly nanomaterials has become a central topic in the design of new conservation tools . Inspiration in designing novel sustainable materials with enhanced properties can also come from ancient civilizations and cultures, where nanomaterials and interfacial phenomena were exploited based on empirical knowledge.…”

Polyelectrolyte Coatings—A Viable Approach for Cultural Heritage Protection

“…Common natural antifoulants include anesthetics, toxins, inhibitors, surface-active compounds and repellents. The majority of the natural antifouling substances that have been found so far include steroids, terpenoids, phenolics, carotenoids, alkaloids, furanones and peptides [ 82 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 ]. In order to develop an antifouling treatment with a higher efficacy over time, Ruggiero et al suggested developing a novel coating with antifouling properties [ 90 ].…”

Tuning Local Order in Starch Nanoparticles Exploiting Nonsolvency with “Green” Solvents

“…Biomass materials contain natural polymers with structural strength and stability and have been used since ancient times. Starch, being a renewable and available biopolymer that can be sourced from agricultural and food wastes, is an optimal candidate in the formulation of advanced colloids and soft matter in multiple fields. , In particular, amorphous starch nanoparticles (SNPs) can be advantageous over starch nanocrystals, since they have faster reactivity and dynamics useful in applications such as drug-delivery, food chemistry, adhesives/consolidants, and composites .…”

“…2−13 In these frameworks, biopolymers or solvents selected according to existing standards (e.g., the European REACH Regulation 1907/2006 14 − Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) represent ideal starting materials for processing and synthetic routes, as they can be used in new and safer approaches that comply with the need of reducing potential threats to human health or the environment. 15 Biomass materials contain natural polymers with structural strength and stability 16 and have been used since ancient times. Starch, being a renewable and available biopolymer that can be sourced from agricultural and food wastes, is an optimal candidate in the formulation of advanced colloids and soft matter in multiple fields.…”