Smart surfaces for architectural heritage: Preliminary results about the application of TiO2-based coatings on travertine

The development and application of self-cleaning treatments on historical and architectural stone surfaces could be a significant improvement in conservation, protection and maintenance of Cultural Heritage. In this paper, a TiO2-based coating has been investigated in order to evaluate its possible use as a self-cleaning treatment. This coating was obtained by a sol-gel and a hydrothermal (134 °C) processes and then it was applied on travertine (a limestone often used in historical and monumental buildings) in two ways, obtaining a single-layer and a three-layer treatment, respectively. In order to verify its potential use in the field of Cultural Heritage, the maintenance of appearance properties of the treated travertine surfaces was monitored by colour and gloss analyses. Besides, de-pollution and soiling removal tests were carried out under ultraviolet-light exposure to evaluate photo-induced effects and self-cleaning efficiency. Results seem to allow the use of TiO2-based treatments on historical and architectural surfaces made up by travertine, where de-pollution and self-cleaning photo-induced effects are well evident, maintaining their original visual appearance. Anyway, before applying TiO2-based coatings as conservative treatments, further tests are needed especially on their durability, that is mandatory for Cultural Heritage applications. On-site test in an urban environment and accelerated test by weatherometer are currently under way.