MRI tomography A new method to evaluate treatments on stone monuments

The protection of stone objects exposed to the atmosphere is usually realized by treating them with hydrophobic products, with the aim to avoid contact between the rock and liquid water. Up to now, the performance of hydrophobic treatments has been evaluated by the determination of the mass of liquid water absorbed by the stone before and after the hydrophobic treatment. These methods are not sufficient for an exhaustive and detailed comprehension of the action of the protective treatment. By MRI tomography it is now possible to visualize directly the localization of liquid water in a solid porous material, such as rock, providing new insight in the study of hydrophobic treatments on stone and getting indirect information on the distribution of the water-repellent in the stone.