Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BioProMarL (Bio-inspired Protection of Marble with Lasers)
Berichtszeitraum: 2019-09-01 bis 2021-08-31
Marble is a widely used raw material in the kitchen/bathroom market, as well as in the construction sector. It has gained this prominent position mainly because of its beauty. Yet, its durability is harmed by atmospheric and local acidic conditions and its aesthetic appearance endangered by human pollution and contamination. Although surface sealing is frequently used for protection, sealers are often toxic and not sufficiently effective. Long-term conservation or replacement of marble generates enormous costs. Moreover, marble has a number of disadvantages over competitive materials because of its lower hardness and high slipperiness when polished.
BioProMarL aimed at transferring the surface properties of certain plants to the marble surface, employing biomimetic laser structuring strategies that have been developed during the recently finished FET-Open project LiNaBioFluid. The overall objective of BioProMarL was the development of breakthrough concepts inspired by nature to provide enhanced protection and functionalization of marble surfaces for indoor and outdoor applications. Functionalities intended to be transferred to marble include liquid-repellence, stain-resistance, anti-slip and reduced abrasion.
The new biomimetic protection and functionalization concept developed during BioProMarL has a high innovation potential and holds great promise for technological impact. A successful outcome in transferring liquid-repellence and anti-staining is expected to increase the useful life of natural stone products by replacing chemically aggressive sealants through smart functional surface morphologies, strongly contributing to environmental sustainability. In addition, biomimetic marble with other functionalities, such as anti-slip and reduced abrasion might lead to an increase in market share of natural stone products.
At the end of the project it can be concluded that biomimetic laser processing of marble does indeed offer an enormous potential for protection and functionalization of marble. Within the ongoing collaboration of both partners, we expect to be able to transform the project results into concrete benefits for society and contribute to a strengthening of Europe’s leadership in the natural stone sector.
BioProMarL aimed at transferring the surface properties of certain plants to the marble surface, employing biomimetic laser structuring strategies that have been developed during the recently finished FET-Open project LiNaBioFluid. The overall objective of BioProMarL was the development of breakthrough concepts inspired by nature to provide enhanced protection and functionalization of marble surfaces for indoor and outdoor applications. Functionalities intended to be transferred to marble include liquid-repellence, stain-resistance, anti-slip and reduced abrasion.
The new biomimetic protection and functionalization concept developed during BioProMarL has a high innovation potential and holds great promise for technological impact. A successful outcome in transferring liquid-repellence and anti-staining is expected to increase the useful life of natural stone products by replacing chemically aggressive sealants through smart functional surface morphologies, strongly contributing to environmental sustainability. In addition, biomimetic marble with other functionalities, such as anti-slip and reduced abrasion might lead to an increase in market share of natural stone products.
At the end of the project it can be concluded that biomimetic laser processing of marble does indeed offer an enormous potential for protection and functionalization of marble. Within the ongoing collaboration of both partners, we expect to be able to transform the project results into concrete benefits for society and contribute to a strengthening of Europe’s leadership in the natural stone sector.
As for research and development activities, surface structuring of marble employing a range of pulsed lasers (from nanosecond to femtosecond pulses, from the UV up to NIR wavelengths) has been performed within the project. The structured surfaces feature a variety of morphologies, including bio-inspired and artificial structures (periodic or random structures with different length scales). Morphologies of interest have been examined for their performance in a variety of functions, employing both lab-scale testing set-ups as well as industrially established and standardized test benches. The targeted functional properties included repellence to different liquids, resistance to staining by these liquids, reduced slip under dry and wet conditions, as well as reduced abrasion upon contact with other materials.
The results obtained show that several novel strategies for marble protection and functionalization via laser processing have indeed been successfully demonstrated. Amongst the targeted goals, strong liquid repellence could be demonstrated together with an increased stain resistance over short times. Concerning the other properties, a strong performance in anti-slip performance without aesthetic impact was achieved together with a improved resistance to abrasion. It has to be emphasized that multiple functions can be conferred to the treated surface simultaneously (i.e. hidrofobicity, anti-slip and polished finish). The beauty of the obtained surface finish is striking and, according to natural stone experts, strongly contributes to the viability of its commercialization. Strong effort has also been made on dissemination, aiming at contributing to the visibility of the project results, raising societal awareness about the need for marble protection, and stressing the importance of producing marble with added functionalities. This activity will continue after the project. Regarding exploitation, the resulting intellectual property rights have been protected and first steps towards exploitation have been made. The collaboration of both partners in this field will also continue, aimed at identifying, transferring and demonstrating new bio-inspired functionalities of marble.
The results obtained show that several novel strategies for marble protection and functionalization via laser processing have indeed been successfully demonstrated. Amongst the targeted goals, strong liquid repellence could be demonstrated together with an increased stain resistance over short times. Concerning the other properties, a strong performance in anti-slip performance without aesthetic impact was achieved together with a improved resistance to abrasion. It has to be emphasized that multiple functions can be conferred to the treated surface simultaneously (i.e. hidrofobicity, anti-slip and polished finish). The beauty of the obtained surface finish is striking and, according to natural stone experts, strongly contributes to the viability of its commercialization. Strong effort has also been made on dissemination, aiming at contributing to the visibility of the project results, raising societal awareness about the need for marble protection, and stressing the importance of producing marble with added functionalities. This activity will continue after the project. Regarding exploitation, the resulting intellectual property rights have been protected and first steps towards exploitation have been made. The collaboration of both partners in this field will also continue, aimed at identifying, transferring and demonstrating new bio-inspired functionalities of marble.
The laser-based biomimetic and hybrid protection and functionalization concepts of BioProMarL have been successfully demonstrated during this project. The obtained results underline the high innovation potential and promise for technological impact of this approach. In particular, biomimetic laser-structured marble with added functionalities might contribute to yield an increase in the European market share of natural stone products. The partners are currently in the process of transforming the project results into concrete benefits for society and strengthen Europe’s leadership in the natural stone sector.