Abstract
SECURE-COATS aims at providing new solutions for the conservation of marble, limestone and sandstone in cultural heritage, by creating in situ biomimetic composite coatings with: (1) ANTI-FOULING ABILITY, to prevent biodeterioration caused by microorganisms; (2) ANTI-STAIN ABILITY, to prevent staining by green malachite stripes that form when stone is coupled with bronze; (3) SELF-DIAGNOSTIC ABILITY, to evaluate quickly and non-destructively whether a protective coating is still present after years of field exposure. To achieve these abilities, possibly combined in a single multifunctional treatment, several strategies are investigated. To this goal, the project takes advantage of the interdisciplinary and complementary competences of the two research units: (1) UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA (UNIBO), having expertise on coatings for stone conservation and antibacterial materials; (2) NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (CNR), having expertise on nanoparticle encapsulation to pursue a “safe-by-design” approach successfully applied to biomaterials, cosmetics, textiles, water and air purification. The new coatings developed in the project will be: (i) SAFE, as the “safe-by-design” approach of CNR will allow controlling cytotoxicity, which will be experimentally checked; (ii) ECO-FRIENDLY, as the biomimetic coatings synthetized in situ have lower environmental impact than commercial alternatives and all the new functionalities have been designed to be green, which will be assessed by life cycle assessment (LCA) performed by UNIBO; (iii) DURABLE, which will be experimentally checked by UNIBO through reliable accelerated ageing. In addition to significant technological innovation, the project will allow to: (1) develop new knowledge that will be used to pursue new future research lines in different fields (cultural heritage, building materials, medicine, occupational safety, LCA); (2) disclose new collaboration opportunities between the partners, extending their field of expertise and strengthening their networks; (3) preserve artworks that testify our societal identity and are important sources of wealth, in a way that fully meets the goals of the European Green Deal.
Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Enrico Sassoni
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica, Ambientale e dei Materiali
Coordinatore:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Contributo totale di progetto: Euro (EUR) 203.600,00
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 137.000,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
28/09/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
