Effect of the addition of hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane to TEOS-based stone consolidants

Hybrid stone consolidants prepared from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and alpha,omega-hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-OH) have been considered as one of the most promising approaches to improve the effectiveness of traditional alkoxysilane-based formulations. They have emerged as response to the negative reports commonly found in the literature: the resulting silica gel phase (SiO2) tends to develop fractures and fissures inside the stone as the gel shrinks during the drying stage. In this work, we employed SEM, solid-state Si-29 NMR spectroscopy and compressive tests to characterize SiO2-PDMS hybrid gels. We report the morphological characteristics exhibited by gels prepared in vitro and in situ. It was found an appreciable reduction of gel fracture for hybrids prepared from 5% w/w of PDMS. As TEOS polycondenses, PDMS-OH is chemically incorporated into the gel matrix via Si-O-Si bonds. The inclusion of these elastic chains provides the necessary flexibility to resist the stress imposed by capillary pressure. Additionally, an important hydrophobic character is imparted to the stone. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.