Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) /ZrO2-doped ZnO nanocomposites as protective coatings for stone materials

Maduka L. Weththimuni, Marwa Ben Chobba, Ilenia Tredici, Maurizio Licchelli

Abstract

ZnO is widely used in different technological areas due to its beneficial qualities such as high chemical stability, non-toxicity, high photoreactivity, and cheapness. Based on its antibacterial activity, recently it has found also application to prevent bio-deterioration of cultural heritage buildings. As many authors suggested, doped ZnO nano-structures exhibit better antibacterial properties than undoped analogues. In the present work, ZnO nanoparticles doped with ZrO2 have been prepared by a sol-gel method in order to enhance the photocatalytic properties as well as the antibacterial activity of ZnO. Then, ZrO2-ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite (PDMS, polydimethylsiloxane used as the binder) was synthesized by in-situ reaction. The resulting nanocomposite has been investigated as a possible protective material for cultural heritage building substrates. Therefore, it has been applied to three different stones (Lecce stone, Carrara Marble and Brick) in order to evaluate the protective properties of the resulting coating. Plain PDMS was considered as a reference coating.

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IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

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