New conservation methods for outdoor bronze sculptures

Environmental impacts on works of art cause their proceeding degradation. Especially objekts like bronze sculptures are heavily affected. They are mostly situated in public sites and thus unsheltered against weathering and air pollution. The visual stages of bronze corrosion can be followed by observing the changes in colour, chemical composition and amorphous character of the patina. For protection against corrosion- if requested- the conservator can choose between different polymer lacquers, waxes and natural resins. All currently available coating systems have proven to have only a limited period which is not ideal from a conservation point of view and does not conforem to what might be expected from the state-ofthe-art of coating systems. The aim of this project is the dev elopement of a new type of coating designed to protect outdoor bronze sculptures from corrosion and deterioration. Organic-inorganic copolymers (ORMOCER = ORganically MOdified CERamics) are a new promising attemp t in this field, as the combine the properties of inorganic and organic components.