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Activity Funded

Eco-friendly superhydrophobic hybrid coatings for STONE PROTECtion

Revestimentos superhidrofóbicos híbridos e amigos do ambiente para proteção de Pedra

Reference
EXPL/CTA-GEO/0609/2021
Project Start Date
2022-01-17
Project End Date
2024-01-16
Principal Investigator
Coinvestigator
Scientific Area
Natural sciences
Funding Program
Concurso de Projetos de Investigação de Caráter Exploratório (PeX) em Todos os Domínios Científicos

Abstract

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. 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. By projecting a multidisciplinary strategy to present real and robust solutions, the Eco-STONEPROTEC research team envisages the development of innovative, sustainable, effective, durable, and low-cost coatings. It is expected that these materials will soon assume a prime position in stone protection. The project will contribute with new published scientific knowledge, patented novel products, qualification of young researchers (by master and PhD thesis completion), and to achieve the utmost goal – the socio-economic valorisation of the Portuguese natural stone resources and Heritage stone materials based. This 18-month project will also create the foundations for the first Portuguese research spin-off in the field of innovative stone coatings.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Universidade de Évora (Uévora)
  • Universidade de Évora Laboratório Hercules Herança Cultural Estudos e Salvaguarda (HERCULES/Uévora)

Funding 49.128,50 €

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Portugal

49.128,50 €