Oral Presentation Royal Australian Chemical Institute National Congress 2026

Ion pairing behaviour in the prenucleation of calcium phosphate coatings for marble artworks             (136857)

Ria Stephenson 1 , Martina Lessio 1
  1. University of New South Wales, Allawah, NSW, Australia

The question of mineralisation is pertinent in many fields. In particular, the nucleation of calcium phosphates is significant to studies of biomineralization and orthopaedics to, recently, the development of protective coatings for marble cultural heritage objects. In the latter instance, it has been shown that small amounts of organic solvent (ethanol, isopropanol, or acetone) aid in creating a dense mineral layer which improves the efficacy of conservation treatments grown in situ.[1,2,3] While the effect of these organic solvents is plentiful, their impact on a molecular level is not yet fully understood. To investigate this, we are using computational chemistry – in particular density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics – to better understand the role of organic solvents on precursory mineralisation behaviour such as ion solvation, ion pairing, and interactions with the marble (calcite) surface. In doing so, this work aims to understand the optimal conditions for the synthesis of the calcium phosphate protective layer and thus aid in developing more effective conservation strategies for marble cultural heritage objects.

  1. E. Sassoni, G. Graziani, E. Franzoni, and G. W. Scherer, “Calcium phosphate coatings for marble conservation: Influence of ethanol and isopropanol addition to the precipitation medium on the coating microstructure and performance” Corros. Sci., 136, (2018).
  2. A. E. Papasergio, G. Ugolotti, E. Sassoni, and M. Lessio, “Adsorption of water and organic solvents on the calcite [1014] surface: Implications for marble conservation treatments” Appl. Surf. Sci., 616, (2023).
  3. E. Sassoni, “Hydroxyapatite and other calcium phosphates for the conservation of cultural heritage: A review” Materials, 11, 4, (2018).