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Enhanced consolidation efficacy and durability of highly porous calcareous building stones enabled by nanosilica-based treatments

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Abstract

Outdoor building stones are suffering from serious degradation. To restore internal cohesion and to alleviate the disintegration of decayed stones, consolidation treatment is necessary and significant. Up to date, no fully satisfactory consolidation agent and its application methodology are available, mainly due to the limited penetration depth of consolidants, low compatibility, or poor durability in environmental conditions. Herein, in this study, aiming to design an effective and enduring method for the consolidation of highly porous calcareous stones, nanosilica-based consolidation treatments were tested and compared with traditional compounds (tetraethoxysilane, alkylalkoxysilane, barium hydroxide). In order to evaluate their performance and compatibility, a series of standard tests, including the Drilling Resistance Measurement System (DRMS) test, surface color measurement, vapor diffusivity measurement, and peeling test, were carried out. Besides, the penetration depth and distribution profiles of consolidants were estimated by exploiting elemental raster scanning of SEM-EDS analysis performed throughout the thickness of samples. More importantly, by employing a climatic chamber, the artificial ageing test was also conducted by simulating harsh atmospheric conditions. After accelerated ageing, the performance of all consolidants was assessed again. Results demonstrated that the application of nanosilica (<10 nm in dimension) by cellulose poultice, followed by adding tetraethoxysilane with the classical method “wet on wet”, is the best consolidation approach, in terms of in-depth consolidation efficacy, compatibility with the stone substrate, surface cohesion strength and performance durability in environmental conditions. Moreover, the treated surface is not hydrophobic, which allows further grouting and adhesion operations usually required for the restoration of historic buildings.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Culture and Heritage, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, 710072, China

    YiJian Cao

  2. CNR-Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, Florence, 50121, Italy

    YiJian Cao & Mara Camaiti

  3. Monica Endrizzi Conservative Art Restoration, Casale sul Sile-Treviso, 31032, Italy

    Monica Endrizzi

  4. Forti Architecture Studio, Verona, 37121, Italy

    Giorgio Forti & Ilaria Forti

  5. Ernesta Vergani Restoration of Works of Art, Volpago del Montello-Treviso, 31040, Italy

    Ernesta Vergani

  6. Ernesta Vergani Restoration of Works of Art, Cannaregio 4056, Venezia, 30121, Italy

    Ernesta Vergani

  7. Università IUAV di Venezia, Venezia, 30135, Italy

    Ilaria Forti

Authors
  1. YiJian Cao
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  2. Mara Camaiti
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  3. Monica Endrizzi
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  4. Giorgio Forti
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  5. Ernesta Vergani
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  6. Ilaria Forti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mara Camaiti.

Additional information

M.C. and Y.C. acknowledge Dr. Silvia Rescic (CNR-ISPC) for the DRMS measurements, and Prof. Antonella Salvini (Dept. of Chemistry, University of Florence) for the chromatic measurements. This work was supported by Provincia Veneta dell’Ordine dei Carmelitani Scalzi through the Special allocation grant (CNR-IGG Prot. N.0001882), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52202028), and “the Belt and Road” Innovation Talent Exchange Program for Foreign Experts (Grant No. DL2021183001L).

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Cao, Y., Camaiti, M., Endrizzi, M. et al. Enhanced consolidation efficacy and durability of highly porous calcareous building stones enabled by nanosilica-based treatments. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 66, 2197–2212 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-022-2343-y

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