Methyl acrylate polymers as suitable materials for the conservation of stone: performance improvements through atom transfer radical polymerization

Acrylic polymers are a suitable category of materials for application in building stone conservation mainly due to their peculiarities (i.e., easy to apply, low cost, good adhesive and cohesive properties, and high solubility in many organic solvents). The performances of polyacrylates have been improved through atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Polymers were obtained with low polydispersity, controlled molecular weight, and showing better stability to UV irradiation than products obtained by radical polymerization. New poly(methyl acrylate-co-perfluoropolyethers) were also prepared via ATRP, using a perfluoropolyether derivative as initiator, showing the possibility of synthesizing copolymers between acrylates and perfluoropolyethers in common solvents. Protective efficiency of poly(methyl acrylate-co-perfluoropolyether) was close to that of commercially available products.