Multifunctional TiO2 coatings for Cultural Heritage

Environmental pollution arising from industrial implants and urban factors is constantly increasing,causing aesthetical and durability concerns to urban structures exposed to the atmosphere.Nanometric titanium dioxide has become a promising photocatalytic material owing to its ability tocatalyze the complete degradation of many organic contaminants and environmental toxins.This work deals with the preparation system that could take advantage of functionalized buildingmaterials in order to improve the quality of urban surfaces, with particular regard to Cultural Heritage.TiO2-containing photoactive materials represent an appealing way to create self-cleaning surfaces, thuslimiting maintenance costs, and to promote the degradation of polluting agents. Titanium dioxide dispersedin polymeric matrices can represent a coating technology with hydrophobic, consolidating andbiocidal properties, suitable for the restoration of building stone materials belonging to our CulturalHeritage. Mixtures were tested on marble and limestone substrates. Capillary water absorption, simulatedsolar aging, colorimetric and contact angle measurements have been performed to evaluate theirproperties.