Window Glass Protectants

Window glass protectants are chemical sealants that are used to treat the surface of window glass. These are usually hydrophobic which means they repel water. So rain will bead up on them. As opposed to spreading out. Protectants form a barrier between water and the glass surface. Also between any mineral deposits that are left behind when water evaporates from the surface, and the glass. Such sealants protect in at least three ways that I can see. First they gaurd against scratches. Only certain ones work very well at this. They will gaurd against hard water spots (mineral deposits) from sticking very strongly to the surface. They will also protect against the weathering effect. This is a type of natural etch that happens as acid rain literally eats away the surface over much time. Now not all glass sealants are created equal. Some just set on top. Thay will wear off in a week or a month. Ultraviolet radiation seams to have an effect on their longevity. There exist protectants that are true S.A.M.s. Otherwise know as self assembling monolayers. They form a covalent bond with the glass, and will not react with plastic or metal. Such protectants are usually polymers based on organic/silanes, siloxane copolymers, teflon (ptfe) based organic (carbon) silanes, and even diamond. Or so I have been told. The bottom line however dispite all of the advertising, is how well will they work for your purpose, on your building? I have found the best way to answer this question is to set up different tests on the building in question, and wait at least six months. If you are dealing with scratches, you simply want to know if the sealant has worn off and is no longer effective. This you can test for. If you are trying to create a condition where all newly fromed hard water spots can be much more easily removed, again a simple test will tell this. I have found for example when dealing with screen stain from aluminum screens, that even a topical sealant if not in the direct sun will last for years. When it is time to remove the newly formed screen stain, just some four zero steel wool will very quickly knock it off. This it will do and still leave the sealant on. Whereas a more agressive spot removal product would remove both. So it becomes necessary to know what will remove the stain but not the sealant. There are techniques that can be used too for removing the stain, and applying more sealant/protectant simultaneously. I have developed certain custom products for this. Anyhow, in a day and age when scientists are experimenting with treating silica substrates with carbon nanotubes, we can expect the new hydrophobics industry to continue to advance. Such nanotubes that I speak of must be attatched to nickel nucleation sites in order to attain a very regular S.A.M. Then the top of the "trees" are capped with teflon. This technology was developed by some scientists at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Henry Grover Jr.
Glass Tech Consulting
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www.gtcnews.blogspot.com