Functional surface engineering for cultural heritage protection: the role of superhydrophobic and superoleophobic coatings – a comprehensive review

• Giuseppe Cesare Lama,
• Marino Lavorgna,
• Letizia Verdolotti,
• Federica Recupido,
• Giovanna Giuliana Buonocore and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 63–96, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.6

• emerging trends, challenges, and future perspectives, offering a valuable resource for researchers, conservators, and materials scientists committed to the long-term safeguarding of historical artifacts and monuments. Keywords: cultural heritage preservation; environmental degradation; functional

• threats posed by environmental factors [2][3] and by human-induced damages, such as mishandling [4] or acts of vandalism [5] (Figure 1), the need for advanced protective coatings has never been more pressing. In Figure 2, the number of publications related to both the cultural heritage preservation

• authenticity”. With the cultural heritage preservation principles written in this way, each person carries a strong collective responsibility to preserve the authenticity of historical testimony. As proof of this heightened perception, since then, more than 9000 scientific papers, review papers, and books have