Nanomaterials from Metal-Alkoxides Precursors for The Conservation Of Building Materials: the EU Project NANOMATCH

Deterioration of historic building materials, in particular stone, wood and glass has become more and more important since climate change has worsened natural decay and the impact of atmospheric pollution. Furthermore, in recent years socio-economic requirements have claimed a more sustainable use of existing heritage buildings. On the basis of these premises, the NANOMATCH project will address this issue through the development of innovative consolidants specifically designed to meet the requirements of the historic building substrates and, integrated in high performance products, to renovate the market dedicated to the conservation of the built heritage. NANOMATCH is a three-year European Collaborative Project that involves 15 partners from 6 European countries (Italy, France, Germany, Romania, Spain, The Netherlands) and one Associate State (Turkey). The project activity focuses on the synthesis of Alkaline earth and semi-metal alkoxides precursors, tuning their properties to address the specific functionality requirements. This will lead to a new generation of nano-structured materials tailored to the characteristics of historic materials in a context of climate change, merging the most recent advances of research in the fields of nanotechnologies and conservation science. Central to the project are the synthesis of molecular precursors, the nano-coating deposition and the assessment of related properties which will result in the production of innovative products to enter the market as a real alternative for incompatible traditional ones. These new products will be tested both in laboratory and on the field. The basis for their production and introduction on the market will be developed during the project.