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Heritage buildings and monuments are mostly made from natural stone, which undergoes irreversible decay under outdoor conditions. The main reason for the contamination, degradation, and cracking of natural stones is water and oil permeation. Hence, modifications on stones rendering their surface self-cleaning are effective for stone protection. Reported in this paper is the development of a bionic approach to enabling self-cleaning stone surface via growing self-assembled polydopamine (PDA) as the adhesive layer on the stone surface, followed by depositing Al2O3 nanoparticles derivatized by self-assembled monolayers of a fluorophosphonic acid (FPA). This approach ensured a robust surface modification that realized superhydrophobicity, as demonstrated on natural marbles, Hedishi, and Qingshi. The surface modification was thermally stable up to 400 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most heritage buildings and monuments are constructed out of natural stones which suffer irrevocable degradation when undergoing wet weathering, bowing, and dissolution in outdoor conditions. Self-cleaning treatments are effective for stone protecting. Herein, nano-materials which provide enhanced protectants for Marble, Qingshi and Hedishi were prepared. Inherent microscale interstices and holes exist on polished natural stone surfaces. When treated by a commercial protectant, 101S, the surfaces were hydrophobic but not self-cleaning. Colloidal protectants were prepared by dispersion of Al2O3 and SiO2 nano-powder in 101S, respectively. Self-cleaning stone surfaces were achieved after treated by the protectants, meanwhile, the interstices and holes were reserved as much as possible. The principle of the as- prepared protectants is penetrating and crosslinking on the stone surfaces as well as the inner surfaces of the interstices and holes. The reserving of the micro interstices and holes is important since the breathability of the stones is remained. The self-cleaning surfaces showed good thermal stability below 250 °C. Meanwhile, changes of color and gloss of the treated stone surfaces are in the acceptable range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]