Evonik Degussa Protectosil - How it Works
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Protectosil® Water Repellents

Protectosil ® Water Repellents

Efficient hydrophobation - Advantages at a glance

How it Works

Moisture is the root cause of almost all mechanisms that damage mineral building materials. Their porous nature allows water and dissolved contaminants to penetrate via capillary action from the surface into the interior. By preventing the ingress of water into a structure, damage can be drastically reduced.

  • Protectosil® penetrate deep into the substrate.

Because they are smaller than the pores of the substrate Protectosil® water repellent molecules penetrate into the building material and bond chemically to the surface, rendering it hydrophobic. External liquid water is kept from entering the pores, while water vapor generated from within the structure can stil escape. The structure remains breathable. Because they are inside the pores, Protectosil® water repellent treatments are not affected by UV radiation.

 

Moisture can penetrate an unprotected mineral surface, eventually damaging it.

 

Film-forming coatings seal the surface.

 

  • Protectosil® water repellents offer deep protection which is not affected by UV exposure or abrasive load (e.g. traffic).
  • Protectosil® maintains the water vapor permeability.
  • Protectosil® hydrophobation products do not change the surface appearance of the substrates, so paints still be applied.

 

As Protectosil® hydrophobation creates a deep barrier against water, the efficiency of Protectosil® is not measured by the beading effect of the surface. It is measured by thereduction of water uptake. Non-destructive testing can be carried out on existing buildings using a Karstens (or Rilem) tube. Another possibility is to take drill cores and to detect visibly the penetration depth with water based inks.