How StainProof Works Surface EnergyOur sealers work by the modification of the surface of the building material and by changing its absorption characteristics. This is achieved by a chemical reaction.Most of Dry-Treat’s products work by changing the natural surface energy of the porous building material by means of a chemical reaction with the result that it repels water, salts and oils.Chemical Reaction The main active components of our sealers is a molecule which consists of silicon, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
The molecule has two main parts with quite different properties. Part of the molecule is hydrophobic (repels water), while the other part is hydrophilic (attracted to water). When the sealer is sprayed onto the surface of porous building materials it immediately starts to react with moisture in the air and in the material. This causes the molecules in the sealer which are attracted to water to react and break off to form alcohol - in this case ethanol. A new compound is formed called silanol that is able to react with the surface layers of the masonry. The structure of the majority of masonry essentially consists of silicon, oxygen and at boundary layers oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The silanol molecule is very reactive and is able to break the oxygen-hydrogen bond. It then attaches itself to the masonry lattice.
Unlike surface coatings that rely on hydrogen bonding or mechanical holding, this bond is very strong and of the same magnitude as the bonds holding the masonry together. This bond causes the contact angle between water and masonry to change. It no longer acts like a ‘hard sponge’ but is able to repel liquids.
Salt resistance
Generally, salt ions must be in water to migrate into the building material through capillary suction. Due to the presence of the sealer, the building material now repels the water and it also repels the chloride ion.
Depth of impregnation
The uniform depth of penetration of the treatment can be measured from the surface after it has been soaked in a water-based dye.
Our sealers have a relatively slow moving reacting liquid, with a viscosity less than water. This means that even on slightly moist building materials it can still penetrate deep into the material. This is quite useful for marine structures. A deep depth of penetration is vital to protect the treatment against the effects of weathering and ultraviolet radiation.
Alkali attack
Unlike many other products the bond of this sealer can withstand strong alkali attack from calcium hydroxide. Alberta Transport & Utilities in the USA have developed a test to determine the ability of a treatment to withstand alkali attachment and is the basis for similar performance based specifications around the world. Their test involved soaking a treated sample of concrete in 0.1 molar solution of potassium hydroxide for 21 days then testing the sample for water up-take. To date, the best performing material has been our type of sealer.
Breathe-ability
The sealer attaches itself to the building material lattice where it acts as a repellant. At the same time the sealer permits the passage of water vapor, so that the concrete can breathe. The reason for this phenomenon is hydrogen bonding, which means that the water molecules stick together and are subsequently resisted by the sealer. Water vapor travels alone and is able to by-pass the silane. This means that trapped moisture in the material can evaporate over time and dry out the substrata.
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