Deposition of Transparent, Hydrophobic TiO2 Film for the Protection of Outdoor and Marine Cultural Heritage Assets

In this work we present two new methods to obtain TiO2 transparent coverage and to impart superhydrophobicity to stones and ceramics surface of monuments. The first method, adapted for small artifacts easily transportable in restoration laboratory, consists of a simple evaporation of Ti directly on ceramic surface in a controlled oxygen atmosphere. The second method consents the coverage of large surface directly in situ. The TiO2 is evaporated on a salt surface with desired dimensions and then deposited on ceramic surfaces. In both cases the dioxide layers are transparent, don’t damage the ceramic surfaces and are easily removable. In fact, the dioxide layer can be removed simply by 30 minutes of laser ablation process.