The potential of new eco-friendly formulations in enhancing the protection of ceramic artifacts

Abstract

This study focuses on transforming the consolidation formulations based on Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), which is an eco-friendly bio-based cellulosic polymer with inherent hydrophilic characteristics to a hydrophobic one. This will be done via integrating the polymer with nano-silica and hydrophobic nano-silica, to enhance its consolidating properties to be in line with the global trend of replacing conventional materials with eco-friendly alternatives. Three different formulations were prepared, including HPC polymer solely, HPC integrated with nano-silica (NS), and HPC integrated with hydrophobic nano-silica (HNS). Primarily, nano-silica and hydrophobic nano-silica were synthesized and characterized using TEM and XRD. Subsequently, the prepared formulations were applied to artificial ceramic artifacts to evaluate their physical and mechanical properties, encompassing parameters such as water absorption, color change, contact angle, SEM/EDX, and digital microscopy. The results revealed that the incorporation of hydrophobic nano-silica significantly enhanced the mechanical and the physical properties of the cellulosic polymer, besides the extreme change that happened to its hydrophilic properties which was developed to a very good hydrophobic one. The success of these consolidation formulations can pave the way for the utilization of bio-based polymers with their inherent eco-friendly nature in the consolidation and restoration processes of cultural heritage artifacts, which can help in the contribution to the expanding body of knowledge in sustainable materials for conservation purposes.