Methyl–modified hybrid organic-inorganic coatings for the conservation of copper

A simple sol-gel technique for the preparation of methyl–modified silica coatings for the protection of the external surface of copper has been used in this study. Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) has been used as a precursor to prepare nanosilica coatings on the surface of copper. The methyl–modified silica sols were obtained by mixing of 3% SiO2 sol solution with trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) or hexamethyldisilozane (HMDS) as basic materials. For comparison, the copper substrates were also coated with commercial polymers (Paraloid B 72, Plexisol P 550-40 and polyvinyl butyral (PVB)). The surface morphology changes of uncoated and coated specimens were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hydrophobicity of surfaces and photochemical ageing effects were evaluated by contact angle measurements. Potentiodynamic measurements were obtained in order to compare corrosion parameters of the coatings.