A Novel Organic–Inorganic Composite with Outstanding Comprehensive Reinforcement Properties for Dealing with Salt Efflorescence of Pottery

Salt efflorescence is always a main barrier for pottery cultural relic conservation. This study presents an innovative two-step process for enhancing the reinforced strength of efflorescence pottery. The first step involves forming a cross-linked mesh structure on the weathered surfaces using ethyl orthosilicate hydrolysate as an organic reinforcement material. In the second step, a two-component inorganic reinforcement material is developed to transform the destructive salt into a filling reinforcement material. The reinforcement pottery was comparatively investigated by XRD, color difference analysis, penetration depth measurements, mechanical strength tests, permeability assessment, and surface morphology characterization. The results demonstrate that the optimized reinforcement material exhibits high water permeability (up to 2.5 cm in penetration depth), stable color variation (ΔE up to 1.44), and excellent mechanical properties (17.01 MPa compressive strength and 2.66 MPa flexural strength). This work presents a promising technique for enhancing the structural interlocking between reinforcement pottery, which is crucial for mitigating dominant salt damage, and suggests an effective strategy that is applicable to the protection of cultural relics.