Preparation of composite silane films doped with nano-SiO2 and their corrosion inhibition performance on simulated bronze

Metal cultural relics, as important national treasures, are an extremely important category of historical and cultural heritage. However, they are highly susceptible to soil burial or various factors in the atmospheric environment, leading to serious corrosion. In this work, we developed a novel method for preparing a three-dimensional network protective film on the surface of metal cultural relics. Firstly, the condensation reaction occurs through the hydrolysis of n-dodecyltrimethoxysilane, forming a porous network texture on the metal surface. Subsequently, hydrophilic gas-phase nano-SiO ₂ particles are injected to form a dense three-dimensional network structure protective film on the metal surface, which can effectively isolate harmful ions in the environment and slow down or inhibit further corrosion of metal cultural relics. This method is based on self-assembly film technology and has the advantages of safety, efficiency, and convenience. For well-preserved metal artifacts such as bronze ware, the utilization of corrosion inhibitors can be avoided, thereby efficiently avoiding the potential risks brought by the use of corrosion inhibitors. The method proposed in this article provide new insights and protection methods into the surface treatment of various metal cultural relics and metal materials in the museum collection.