University Researchers Develop Award-winning Preservation Coating
The research group used three distinct chemistries in their research: UV-initiated thiol-ene reaction, amine/epoxy reaction, and alkoxysilane sol-gel curing. These chemistries were preferred as acrylics tend to require longer cure times, epoxies are prone to oxidizing and discoloration, and fluoropolymers pose environmental concerns and can’t be used on all surfaces. With the preferred chemistries selected, the team manipulated the collection in order to obtain the desirable qualities and developed a hybrid organo-silicon coating system that could extend the life of multiple surfaces subjected to high levels of erosion, including national monuments, historical structures, statues, cemetery stones and buildings. After testing, all surfaces coated for the year seemed to have benefitted from the coating and demonstrated long-term stability, even in exposed outdoor environments in temperatures ranging from below zero to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. What came as a surprise to researchers was how well the coating performed on wood surfaces, which was noted to absorb the coating.
While the team is hopeful their coating system will be used on national monuments, historical structures, statues, cemetery stones and buildings in the future, the research team was encouraged to apply for additional research grants to continue its study.