Innovative nano silicone wax coatings for the conservation of bronze artifacts from corrosion

Abstract

Abstract Herein we studied the efficiency of a protective transparent and reversible nano silicone wax coatings (NSW) to protect bronze artifacts extracted from Herakleon City, Abu Kir Bay, Alexandria, Egypt. The nano structured silicone wax film resulted in the formation of a structure that can act as a barrier layer from corrosion. The application of NSW coatings on bronze artifacts was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Exposure of bronze samples with and without the nano silicone wax coating to sodium chloride solution led to a remarkable inhibition of corrosion for the coated samples only. Comparison of the inhibition efficiency obtained from samples coated with nano silicone wax coatings to that obtained from silicone wax coatings in normal size revealed that the protection efficiency is very high in case of nano silicone wax coatings compared to the traditional silicone wax coatings. The application of nano silicone wax coatings on bronze artifacts can pave the way into the development of safe and tailored solutions in the field of ancient metal artifacts conservation. Graphical abstract