Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00389
The Polymers and Adhesives for Stone Conservation opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00389) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement under the U.S. Department of the Interior that focuses on improving materials and methods used to conserve historic stone, especially deteriorating marble and limestone. The effort is structured around taking promising polymer and sol-gel technologies that were previously developed with federal support and moving them closer to real-world conservation use by optimizing formulations, scaling them up, and validating performance through field trials on actual sites. In addition to technical outcomes, the project is also meant to serve an educational mission by deeply involving both graduate and undergraduate students in cultural heritage materials research and development.
A central goal is to optimize and field test a new polymer-based preservation system intended to stabilize and protect stone that is weathering or otherwise degrading. Rather than remaining at a lab-demonstration stage, the project emphasizes practical deployment: identifying suitable trial locations in coordination with the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), preparing larger batches of the coating system, and applying the coatings under field conditions. The field trials are designed to provide realistic feedback on how the coatings handle the environmental stresses that commonly affect stone in outdoor heritage contexts, such as moisture exposure, temperature swings, and general weathering, which can be difficult to replicate fully in the laboratory.
A second major focus is the development of improved stone-joining adhesives. The project seeks to explore new two-component epoxy adhesive systems that still deliver the core requirements conservation professionals rely on (strong adhesion and suitable handling characteristics), while improving two properties that often limit traditional commercial epoxies in heritage stone applications: long-term durability and water vapor transmission. Water vapor transmission is particularly important in stone conservation because overly impermeable adhesives or coatings can trap moisture within porous stone, potentially accelerating deterioration through freeze-thaw damage, salt crystallization, or other moisture-driven decay mechanisms. By targeting better moisture compatibility alongside durability, the work is aimed at producing adhesives that are both effective and more sympathetic to the way historic stone behaves.
Technically, the adhesive research is described as a hybrid system built from several components working together: an epoxy resin paired with an amine curing agent, combined with a sol-gel component, and reinforced at the nanoscale with reactive polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). Within that framework, the project outlines several specific exploration paths. It will evaluate aliphatic epoxy resins (often associated with different weathering and color stability behavior compared to other epoxy types), screen a wide variety of curing agents to tune performance, and test small additions of epoxy-functionalized POSS as an additive for nano-reinforcement. The inclusion of a sol-gel component is intended to create a hybrid sol-gel adhesive system, which can potentially balance mechanical strength with improved compatibility and transport properties, such as better moisture movement through or around the repaired area.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.945 and uses a cooperative agreement instrument, indicating an expectation of substantial involvement from the agency partner during the project. The listing also makes clear that this is not an open competition: it is a notice of intent to partner with North Dakota State University, and no applications will be accepted. The anticipated award is a single award with an award ceiling of $41,500, reflecting a targeted, project-specific collaboration rather than a broad solicitation. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a focused applied research and field validation effort to improve protective coatings and adhesives used in preserving culturally significant stone resources, while simultaneously training students in conservation-related polymer science.Apply for P18AS00389
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Polymers and Adhesives for Stone Conservation" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 02, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Notice of intent to partner with North Dakota State University. No applications will be accepted.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $41,500.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Polymers and Adhesives for Stone Conservation (P18AS00389)
What is the "Polymers and Adhesives for Stone Conservation" opportunity?
It is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement under the U.S. Department of the Interior focused on improving materials and methods used to conserve historic stone, with particular emphasis on deteriorating marble and limestone.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this grant notice?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P18AS00389.
Which federal agency is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with the National Park Service under the U.S. Department of the Interior.
What type of award instrument is used?
This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement, which indicates substantial involvement from the agency partner during the project.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.945.
Is this an open, competitive funding opportunity?
No. This is a notice of intent to partner with North Dakota State University, and no applications will be accepted.
Who is the intended partner organization?
The notice states an intent to partner with North Dakota State University.
How many awards are expected to be made?
A single award is anticipated.
What is the maximum funding amount available under this opportunity?
The award ceiling is $41,500.
What is the overall goal of the project?
The project aims to move promising polymer and sol-gel technologies (previously developed with federal support) closer to real-world conservation use by optimizing formulations, scaling them up, and validating performance through field trials at actual sites.
What kinds of historic stone does the project focus on?
The work especially targets deteriorating marble and limestone in historic or cultural heritage contexts.
What are the main technical areas of work described in the opportunity?
There are two major technical focuses: (1) optimizing and field testing a new polymer-based preservation/coating system for weathering stone, and (2) developing improved stone-joining adhesives, including new two-component epoxy-based systems.
What is the purpose of the polymer-based preservation system mentioned in the notice?
The preservation system is intended to stabilize and protect stone that is weathering or otherwise degrading, with an emphasis on practical deployment beyond lab demonstrations.
What makes the coating work "applied" rather than purely laboratory research?
The effort emphasizes real-world deployment steps such as identifying suitable trial locations, preparing larger batches (scale-up) of the coating system, and applying coatings under field conditions to observe performance in realistic environments.
Who helps coordinate the field trial locations?
Field trial locations are to be identified in coordination with the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT).
Why are field trials important for this project?
Field trials provide realistic feedback on coating performance under environmental stresses that are difficult to fully reproduce in a laboratory, including moisture exposure, temperature swings, and general outdoor weathering.
What is the second major focus area beyond protective coatings?
The second major focus is the development of improved stone-joining adhesives, specifically exploring new two-component epoxy adhesive systems for heritage stone applications.
What performance traits are the improved adhesives supposed to maintain?
The project aims to maintain core requirements conservation professionals rely on, including strong adhesion and suitable handling characteristics.
Which adhesive limitations does the project specifically try to improve?
The work targets improvements in long-term durability and water vapor transmission, two properties that can limit traditional commercial epoxies in heritage stone applications.
Why does water vapor transmission matter in stone conservation?
In porous stone, overly impermeable adhesives or coatings can trap moisture, potentially accelerating deterioration through mechanisms such as freeze-thaw damage, salt crystallization, or other moisture-driven decay processes.
How does the opportunity describe the adhesive technology approach?
The adhesive research is described as a hybrid system combining an epoxy resin and amine curing agent with a sol-gel component, and nanoscale reinforcement using reactive polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS).
What specific adhesive components are mentioned?
The notice mentions an epoxy resin, an amine curing agent, a sol-gel component, and reactive POSS (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) as a nano-reinforcement additive.
What types of epoxy resins are specifically called out for evaluation?
The project will evaluate aliphatic epoxy resins, which are often associated with different weathering and color stability behavior compared to other epoxy types.
What does the notice say about curing agents?
The project will screen a wide variety of curing agents to tune adhesive performance.
What role does POSS play in the adhesive development?
The project plans to test small additions of epoxy-functionalized POSS as an additive for nano-reinforcement within the hybrid adhesive system.
Why include a sol-gel component in the adhesive system?
The sol-gel component is intended to create a hybrid sol-gel adhesive system that may help balance mechanical strength with improved compatibility and transport properties, such as better moisture movement through or around repaired areas.
What is meant by "moving technologies closer to real-world conservation use" in this notice?
It refers to taking polymer and sol-gel technologies that were previously developed with federal support and advancing them by optimizing formulations, scaling up production to larger batches, and validating performance through field trials on actual sites.
Does the opportunity include an education or workforce development component?
Yes. The project is meant to serve an educational mission by deeply involving both graduate and undergraduate students in cultural heritage materials research and development.
How should this opportunity be understood in terms of scope?
It is a focused, project-specific collaboration centered on applied research and field validation of protective coatings and stone-joining adhesives used to preserve culturally significant stone resources.
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