Fabrication of Water Repellent Coatings Using Waterborne Resins for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage

Summary Silica nanoparticles are dispersed in aqueous solutions of silanes and siloxanes. The dispersions are deposited, by brush, on various materials which have been used in objects of the cultural heritage such as marble, sandstone, mortar, wood, cotton and ceramic. The effect of the particle concentration on the wettability of the surfaces of the composite (siloxane‐silica) films is studied. It is shown that superhydrophobicity and water repellency are achieved when high concentrations of nanoparticles are used for the production of the composite films. This result is explained with SEM images which reveal the surface morphologies of the films. Colorimetry and XRF are employed to evaluate the efficiency of the composite films to be used for the protection of cultural heritage objects.