Nano Research & Applications

Nano-calcite preparation aimed at consolidating stones for cultural heritage applications

17^th Edition of International Conference on Emerging Trends in Materials Science and Nanotechnology
April 26-27, 2018 Rome, Italy

Luca Panariello, Maria-Beatrice Coltelli, Valter Castelvetro, Elisabeth Mascha, Johannes Weber and Andrea Lazzeri

University of Pisa, Italy University of Applied Arts, Austria INSTM - University of Pisa, Italy

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Nano Res Appl

DOI: 10.21767/2471-9838-C1-009

Abstract

The consolidation of stone of ancient monuments, such as middle age cathedrals, degraded because of natural ageing, is an important topic for European cultural heritage conservation. Usually tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) based treatments are used as consolidants because they lead to formation of stable amorphous silica inside stones pores. While generally effective, this treatment is more compatible with silicate stones and it shows a tendency to cracking upon drying. It shows also the tendency to induce damages because of the differential dilatation behavior with respect to host stone. To consolidate carbonatic stones, a carbonate based consolidant should be reasonably developed to improve compatibility with the host stone. Moreover, its nano dimension facilitates penetration into the stone microporosities, with generation of a very high surface area resulting in a high reactivity inside pores. For these reasons nano-calcite may provide a good alternative to TEOS. Nano-calcite can be prepared by the carbonation of calcium hydroxide in water in the presence of interfacial agents. This reaction is very cheap and well known, but the control of reaction parameters to achieve nano-scale dimensions is quite complex. The present work concerns the preparation of a water suspension containing nano-calcite through the controlled carbonation of calcium hydroxide in water in a pilot plant. The reaction was optimized by keeping into account a statistical approach based on a simplified design of experiment technique applied to the different reaction parameters. Thanks to this approach the role played by several parameters in determining the final morphology of the nanocalcite was investigated. The preliminary laboratory testing of nano-calcite onto a carbonate stone showed a good adhesion of nano-particles in the host stone, unveiling interesting potentiality of this treatment. Recent Publications 1. Shi X, Rosa R and Lazzeri A (2010) On the coating of precipitated calcium carbonate with stearic acid in aqueous medium. Langmuir 26(11):8474- 8482. 2. Shi X, Bert�?³ti I, Puk�?¡nszky B, Rosa R and Lazzeri A. 2011) Structure and surface coverage of water-based stearate coatings on calcium carbonate nanoparticles. Journal of Colloid Interface Science 362:67-73. 3. Verganelaki A, Kilikoglou V, Karatasios I and MaravelakiKalaitzaki P (2014) A biomimetic approach to strengthen and protect construction materials with novel calciumoxalate-silica nanocomposite. Construction and Building Materials 62:8-17. 4. Sassoni E, Graziani G, Ridolfi G, Bignozzi M C and Franzoni E (2017) Thermal behavior of carrara marble after consolidation by ammonium phosphate, ammonium oxalate and ethyl silicate. Materials and Design 120:345â�?�?353. 5. Pondelak A, Kramar S, Kikelj M L and �? kapin A S (2017) In-situ study of the consolidation of wall paintings using commercial and newly developed consolidants. Journal of Cultural Heritage 28:1-8.

Biography

Luca Panariello completed a Master’s degree in Industrial Chemistry in February 2014. He obtained professional qualification as Chemist in December 2014. He received University Scholarship at the Department of Chemical and Industrial Chemical about production of polymeric thickening additives for lubricating oils in collaboration with ENI S.p.A. and University Scholarship at the Department of Civil and Chemical Engineering about antimicrobial
properties of modified polymer films for packaging. Currently, he is a Granted Researcher and PhD student working on the production of nanocalcite suspension for cultural heritage application and toughening agent for plastics. His research activity focuses on Polymer Science, in particular Nanometric Composite.

Email:luca.panariello@ing.unipi.it