Nanomatch: A European Project to Develop Consolidants Through the Synthesis of New Inorganic Nanomaterials for the Conservation of Built Heritage

Abstract

The problem of deterioration of historical building materials, namely stone, wood and glass has become more and more urgent. Climate changes have increased the impact of natural decay whilst socio-economic requirements claim a more sustainable use of existing built heritage. The EU project NANOMATCH addresses this problem through the development of a family of innovative materials. These are specifically designed for the consolidation requirements of historical substrates and for the production of high performance products to fill the gap in the market dedicated to the conservation of built heritage. Metal-alkoxide precursors will be synthesized and their properties will be tuned based on the substrate characteristics of respectively stone, wood, glass to fulfil specific functionalities. The consolidation effects will be first evaluated through lab experimentation and subsequently the most suitable metal alkoxides will be tested in different European sites to evaluate also the environmental effects on their performance This will lead to a new generation of nano-products specifically tailored for historic materials in a context of climate change, emerging from the most recent and advanced research in the fields of conservation science and nanotechnologies. The development of suitable products for the treatment of historical materials will finally stop the inappropriate use of several commercial products, especially polymers. These have shown in recent years detrimental effects due to their fast deterioration and have also hampered the treated material as well. Central to the project is the synthesis of molecular precursors, nano-coating deposition and assessment of their conservation properties leading to the production of innovative products for the market of conservation in replacement of unfit traditional ones. The basis for their production and market introduction will be developed within the project.