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Volume 16
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Article

Superhydrophobic Nanocomposite of Paraloid B72 and Modified Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles for Cultural Heritage Conservation

by
Eirini Gkrava
1,
Nikoletta Florini
2,
Panagiotis Manoudis
1,
Anastasia Rousaki
1,
Christina P. Pappa
1,
Vasilios Tsiridis
3,
Maria Petala
3,
Eleni Pavlidou
2,
Philomela Komninou
2,
Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis
4,5,
Thodoris D. Karapantsios
1,
Panagiotis K. Spathis
1 and
Ioannis Karapanagiotis
1,*
1
School of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
2
School of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
3
School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
4
Department of Chemistry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
5
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Refining and Advanced Chemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Coatings 2026, 16(3), 347; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030347
Submission received: 1 February 2026 / Revised: 5 March 2026 / Accepted: 6 March 2026 / Published: 10 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Superhydrophobic Coatings, 2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Superhydrophobic materials have clear potential for mitigating rain/humidity-induced damage to cultural heritage. In the present study, the wetting properties of Paraloid B72 were tailored to achieve superhydrophobicity by incorporating modified calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanoparticles (NPs). B72 is a well-established conservation product while CaCO3 is chemically compatible with calcareous materials commonly found in cultural heritage buildings and objects. Initially, the wettabilities of CaCO3 NPs, functionalised with caproic (C6), caprylic (C8), lauric (C12), myristic (C14), palmitic (C16), and stearic (C18) acid, were evaluated by measuring water contact angles (CAs) on NP pellets. For NPs with short hydrocarbon chains, CA increased with chain length, from 66.3° for CaCO3-C6 to 118.0° for CaCO3-C12 NPs. For NPs with longer chains, CA remained stable and around 118°. Based on these results, CaCO3-C12 NPs were selected for further investigation and subjected to transmission electron microscopy analysis, which revealed chain-like agglomerates of aggregated nanocrystallites (5–10 nm) forming 40–150 nm polycrystalline NPs. Scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with elemental mapping revealed a homogeneous distribution of Ca, C, and O within the NPs. Next, CaCO3-C12 NPs were dispersed in B72 solutions and sprayed onto limestone, which was employed as a model calcite-rich substrate. At optimal NP concentration, the resulting composite coating exhibited superhydrophobicity (CA > 150°), while it induced minimal colour alteration to limestone and effective resistance to capillary water absorption. The fluorine-free coating also demonstrated good durability against UV exposure, drop impact, salt attack, freeze–thaw cycles, tape peeling, drop pH variations, and thermal treatment.
Keywords: superhydrophobic; cultural heritage; Paraloid B72; calcium carbonate; nanoparticle superhydrophobic; cultural heritage; Paraloid B72; calcium carbonate; nanoparticle

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MDPI and ACS Style

Gkrava, E.; Florini, N.; Manoudis, P.; Rousaki, A.; Pappa, C.P.; Tsiridis, V.; Petala, M.; Pavlidou, E.; Komninou, P.; Triantafyllidis, K.S.; et al. Superhydrophobic Nanocomposite of Paraloid B72 and Modified Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Coatings 2026, 16, 347. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030347

AMA Style

Gkrava E, Florini N, Manoudis P, Rousaki A, Pappa CP, Tsiridis V, Petala M, Pavlidou E, Komninou P, Triantafyllidis KS, et al. Superhydrophobic Nanocomposite of Paraloid B72 and Modified Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Coatings. 2026; 16(3):347. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030347

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gkrava, Eirini, Nikoletta Florini, Panagiotis Manoudis, Anastasia Rousaki, Christina P. Pappa, Vasilios Tsiridis, Maria Petala, Eleni Pavlidou, Philomela Komninou, Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis, and et al. 2026. "Superhydrophobic Nanocomposite of Paraloid B72 and Modified Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles for Cultural Heritage Conservation" Coatings 16, no. 3: 347. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030347

APA Style

Gkrava, E., Florini, N., Manoudis, P., Rousaki, A., Pappa, C. P., Tsiridis, V., Petala, M., Pavlidou, E., Komninou, P., Triantafyllidis, K. S., Karapantsios, T. D., Spathis, P. K., & Karapanagiotis, I. (2026). Superhydrophobic Nanocomposite of Paraloid B72 and Modified Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Coatings, 16(3), 347. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030347

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