TEOS-Based Superhydrophobic Coating for the Protection of Stone-Built Cultural Heritage

Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) is extensively used in the conservation of stone-built cultural heritage, which is often subjected to water-induced degradation processes. The goal of this study was to produce and study a TEOS-based material with the ability to repel liquid water. A sol solution of TEOS and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl triethoxysilane (FAS) was prepared and deposited on marble. The static contact angles (CAs) of water drops on the coated marble surface were >170° and the sliding angles (SA) were <5°, suggesting that superhydrophobicity and water repellency were achieved on the surface of the synthesized TEOS-based coating. FTIR and SEM-EDS were employed to characterize the produced coating. The latter offered good protection against water penetration by capillarity, reducing the breathability of marble only by a small extent and with practically no effect on its aesthetic appearance. The durability of the coating was evaluated through various tests that provided very promising results. Finally, the versatility of the method was demonstrated as the TEOS-based coating was successfully deposited onto glass, brass, wood, silicon, paper and silk, which obtained extreme wetting properties.