THE CITY AS A LABORATORY OF CHANGE; BUILDINGS, CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ENVIRONMENT FOR A SAFE AND VALUABLE LIFE

The research will focus on the development of procedures and materials for the comprehensive consolidation and preventive protection of monuments. These procedures will be based on the expertise of the research team in the field of materials science and nanotechnology in general and in their use for the restoration of historical artifacts in particular. The research team will focus on the development of procedures for efficient and gentle cleaning of surfaces of building materials (concrete, plaster, stone, glass) and works of art (oil paintings, sculptures) based on micro-emulsions and micellar solutions, their consolidation using nanostructured systems and preventive protection. in particular against biocorrosion, using biocidal nanosystems, and against the degrading effect of moisture and frost. In developing these methods and procedures, particular attention will be paid to technological aspects, in particular the issue of scale-up, which is essential for real production, and the suitability and ease of application. In this regard, we expect cooperation with performing artists - restorers, who will provide us with important feedback for optimizing the developed procedures. This cooperation has proven itself in the past and has led, for example, to the development of gels with built-in microemulsions for efficient and gentle cleaning of painting surfaces and original monumental procedures for the hydrophobization of building materials with a thin hydrophilic surface treatment.