Nanoresearch and stony materials of the built environment

Abstract

The present review concerns the relation between the nanoworld and stony materials in the built environment focusing on the contribution of nanosubstances to decay processes but also the application of nanosubstances and nanotechnology in the built environment for characterization and monitoring of pollutants distribution as well for interventions concerning the conservation of the stony materials. Despite an important gap on the knowledge on the effect of nanopollutants on the decay of building materials (also due to the scarce knowledge on distribution patterns and effect of such nanopollutants in the environment), it has been shown that there are ample examples of applications of nanosubstances for the conservation of stony materials (cleaning, protection and consolidation). However, their efficacy, namely in already emplaced materials and salt-laden objects, and their advantages over classical interventions need to be carefully assessed. We also present some speculations on situations where nanotechnology could be useful for the conservation of building materials