Eco-friendly superhydrophobic hybrid coatings for STONE PROTECtion

Cofinanciado por:
Acronym | Eco-STONEPROTEC
Project title | Eco-friendly superhydrophobic hybrid coatings for STONE PROTECtion
Project Code | EXPL/CTA-GEO/0609/2021
Main objective |

Region of intervention |

Beneficiary entity | Universidade de Évora(líder)

Approval date | 28-07-2021
Start date | 17-01-2022
Date of the conclusion | 16-07-2023
Date of extension | 16-01-2024

Total eligible cost | 49128.50 €
European Union financial support |
National/regional public financial support | República Portuguesa - 49128.50 €
Apoio financeiro atribuído à Universidade de Évora | 49128.50 €

Summary

In the Portuguese economy, the natural stone sector represents an important share of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), establishing itself as one of the most significant contributors to national development and employment sustainability. As one of the main exporters of carbonate stone (marbles and limestones), Portugal faces an old but current and global problem, which dramatically impacts the aesthetics of the stone materials and, simultaneously, their economic, cultural, and artistic value – stone deterioration.

Besides intrinsic stone characteristics, biological, environmental, and anthropogenic factors, WATER is identified, by both the industrial and the academic communities, as the major cause for stone decay and chromatic changes in stone building materials. Therefore, it is urgent to develop novel, sustainable, and highly effective solutions to tackle water impact on stone structures, a challenging task with high socio-economic and cultural consequences.

Recently, modern protective hybrid coatings for marble and limestone, consisting of formulations of inorganic nanoparticles mixtures with organic matrices (polysiloxanes and fluorinated polymers), have shown promising hydrophobic and self-cleaning properties. Nevertheless, these hybrid coatings still present critical weaknesses such as low durability, loss of efficiency and compatibility with the substrate, which dramatically impacts their industry uses.

The Eco-STONEPROTEC project intends to mitigate water action on carbonate stone by developing innovative solutions for stone protection, based on a cutting-edge technology, which will be used for the first time in stone coatings.

 


Goals, activities and expected/achieved results

To give a positive response to the stone sector, this proposal aims to design and develop a of novel, low-cost, highly efficient, durable, and eco-friendly protective hybrid coatings, combining the features of inorganic nanoparticles with dendritic polymers for the application on contemporaneous and historical stone structures without impacting their original appearance. To achieve this major goal, 4 well-defined tasks will be implemented, considering the key criteria for ideal stone protection and simultaneously, to fulfil the economic requirements associated with their future use by building industry and application on stone monuments. Throughout this research project, the selected lithotypes will be subjected to an exhaustive and detailed multi-analytical characterization. Hybrid coatings, based on low-cost, naturally occurring, and non-petroleum materials, will be developed to prepare superhydrophobic solutions for the application on carbonate stones. The innovative solutions obtained under this project will be applied on stone mock-ups and tested for their efficiency, compatibility, durability, and resistance to external factors, mimicking environmental and biological conditions by means of an accelerated ageing chamber using controlled conditions.

Main Scientific Outputs:

Nunes, R (2022). Estudo do efeito antimicrobiano de produtos de proteção de monumentos e materiais de 2022 construção [Bachelor Thesis]. University of Évora

Armal, F (2022). Study of Novel Eco-Friendly Hydrophobic Coating Materials for Carbonate Stone Protection and Preservation [Master Thesis]. University of Évora
URL : https://dspace.uevora.pt/rdpc/bitstream/10174/34854/1/Mestrado- Ciencias_dos_Materiais_Arqueologicos_ARCHMAT-Forough_Armal.pdf

Calhaco, M (2024). Estudo da aplicabilidade de novos compostos amigos do ambiente, como revestimentos 2024 hidrofóbicos e antimicrobianos para proteção de Pedra Natural [Bachelor Thesis]. University of Évora

Hashim, H (2023). Innovative Hybrid Coating Materials for Stone Protection and Preservation [Master Thesis]. 2023 University of Évora

Armal, F; Dias, L; Mirão, J; Pires, V; Sitzia, F; Martins, S; Costa, M; Barrulas, P. (2023) “Chemical composition of hydrophobic coating solutions and its impact on carbonate stones protection and preservation”. Sustainability 15, 16135. [Article]
URL : https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216135

Dias, L; Nunes, R; Costa, M; Caldeira, AT; Mirão, J; Barrulas, P. (2023) “Unveiling the effectiveness of innovative commercial coating used for the preservation of natural stone – A contribution”. Heritage 6(9): 6328-6342. [Article] URL : https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6090331

Barrulas, P; Martins, S; Carreiro, E; Dias, L; Mirão, J; Candeias, A; Caldeira, A; Ribeiro, V; Sitzia, F. (2024) "Eco-HERITAGEPROTEC: Eco-friendly superhydrophobic hybrid coatings for HERITAGE PROTECtion" [Patent]