Most construction materials used today in enormous quantities are not recyclable. The availability & quality of raw materials have posed serious questions for reliability in construction. The speed at which these resources are being depleted demands serious attention towards finding ways and techniques to mitigate this threat by implementing innovative solutions that can keep structures healthy and long -lasting.

Understanding Nanotechnology

If you ask about nanotechnology 90 out of 100 people will say “I have no idea”, and the other ten will give you varying explanations.

In the metric system of measurement, “Nano” equals a billionth and therefore a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Just to appreciate the size, a human hair is over 1,00,000 nanometers long; therefore, it is virtually outside the nanoscale range!

Waterproofing your structure for complete protection

Water seepage, “architect’s and home owner’s nightmare”, is a perennial problem that causes aesthetic and structural damage to a structure. Many waterproofing chemicals & techniques have been tried and none has an absolute success record.

Waterproofing approach in most cases is – ‘COVER-IT-UP’. We cover up the concrete with various available materials. In most cases, the COVER deteriorates (cracking, de-bonding, peeling, etc.) resulting in water ingress into the structure. This results in shortening of the useful service life of the structure.

Conventional waterproofing membranes like film formers form only a surface film over surface cracks. They cannot penetrate the micro cracks and pore channels and suffer from the following limitation: –

1. Short life 2 – 5 years
2. Thermal / UV degradation

New generation penetrative organosilane technology

Now – for the first time, a nanotechnology based waterproofing agent, indigenously developed for the Indian conditions – is available.

The New Generation Organosilane is a blessed technological breakthrough that has addressed almost all issues that prevented widespread use of the Silane technology for mass consumption. The salient features of this new formulation are:

• Long Useful Service Life (UV stability upto 20 years)
• Water Soluble – 20 times its volume (cutting transportation cost)
• Easy to Apply (colloquially speaking, is Idiot-proofed, eliminating misapplication)
• Eco-friendly (Meets the toughest Californian VOC norms)
• Affordable (Can be even considered for Low-cost Mass housing)

Through penetrative nanotechnology the basic nature of the structure is changed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The earlier, water absorbing structure substrate, becomes water resistant.  This prevents water ingress in the structure and retards ageing of the structure.

The result is, significant life extension of the structures and optimize resource preservation.

Concrete is highly prone to water pressure, either high or low. Few years after construction, it starts eroding and gradually exposes the base material & matrix laid. Simple concrete structures show these signs early and even come to the point of partial collapse.  More than 80% of issues in a structure are concerned with moisture intrusion, results in huge renovation costs.

Overcoming water ingress in concrete with Waterproofing

Water ingress results from water seepage in the structural defects like voids, honeycombs. If the structure stands on a water table or a near a high soil moisture area; concrete faces the threat of an early degradation.

Waterproof concrete prevents water ingress thus extending longevity to the structure. Use of sustainable waterproofing membranes during construction, can protect the structure by sealing pores.

A durable concrete foundation – Waterproofing makes the structure resistant to extreme water pressures by providing hard-wearing protection that is difficult to penetrate.

Replenish concrete gaps – Shrinkage cracks & structure defects that leave space for water ingress, are replenished, resulting in effective concrete bonding, leading to prolongs structure life.

A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR EFFECTIVE CONCRETE BONDING- COLD BOND

PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) or RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) are cast in parts, leading to formation of cold joints.

Joints between the old and the newly cast part become a weak link due to migration of water from newly cast concrete to the cured side.

Cold joints experience shrinkage stresses resulting in cracking & de bonding, leading to water ingress.
ColdBond is a unique formulation of Acrylic reactive nanotechnology. It exhibits dual properties of reactive Organosilane and acrylic copolymer viz.
(1) Penetration & Reaction which makes the concrete surface water resistant.

(2) Penetrative property ensures Water Resistance

(3) Strong Chemical bonding & sealing prevents de-bonding

ColdBond absorb shrinkage stresses, sustain thermal cycling & produces a water resistant bonding interface.

Concrete bonding with Cold Bond is a sustainable way to create monolithic joints, eliminating seepage & leakage and ensuring a firm foundation for the structure.

The Construction industry of India is an important indicator of the development as it creates investment opportunities across various related sectors. In India Construction has accounted for around 40 per cent of the development investment during the past 50 years. However, the growth rate in this industry has posed serious questions in terms of availability of quality raw material resulting into poor construction of buildings, bridges, etc.

With the increase in mega-size projects in major urban areas, the limiting resources used in construction industry, such as soil, cement, sand, bricks and aggregates (all containing silica) are depleting at an exponential rate.

Depletion speed of these resources necessitates innovative mitigating solutions that would ensure and enhance the useful service life of these limiting resources. One of the major threats to the structure is water ingress and the aesthetic and structural damage that it causes, which if prevented can significantly improve the life of all structures.

Water ingress in a structure initiates irreversible chemical changes leading to fungi / algae formation, efflorescence, carbonation, crack formation and rebar corrosion, thereby accelerating the ageing process.

CONVENTIONAL SOLUTION: Common waterproofing agents provide only a film cover on the surface, which is non-penetrative. Concrete pore size is < 100 nm (nanometers). Molecule Size of other waterproofing technologies is above 100 nm, hence they cannot enter & seal the concrete substrate micro and nano pores.

ZYCOSIL+ PENETRATIVE & REACTIVE WATERPROOFING TECHNOLOGY

This New Generation Organosilane is a technological breakthrough in waterproofing membrane solutions. The salient features of this new formulation are:

• Long Useful Service Life (UV stability upto 20 years)
• Water Dilutable – 20 times its volume (cutting transportation cost)
• Easy to Apply (colloquially speaking, is Idiot-proofed, eliminating misapplication)
• Eco-friendly (Meets the toughest Californian VOC norms)
• Affordable (Can be even considered for Low-cost Mass housing)

ZYCOSIL+ is a reactive organosilane technology, with a molecular size of 4-6 nm. ZYCOSIL + upon contact reacts with the siliceous substrate reacts chemically with the substrate and permanently changes its properties from a water loving (hydrophilic) to water resisting (hydrophobic) substrate.

The treatment results in a permanent polarity change of the surface changing its nature from hydrophilic to hydrophobic.

This makes the structure permanently water resistant, resulting prevention of water ingress and the damages caused by it and significant extension of the service life of the structure. These waterproofing chemicals can also be applied at the foundation base of soil, before pouring of PCC, to give additional stability against settlement.

One may wonder that application of this technology is really expensive and extremely difficult to apply, but in fact, this is absolutely reverse. This technology is easy on pocket (cost of application per sq. ft. is extremely competitive) and most importantly it is very easy to apply on both – horizontal and vertical surfaces, easing the job of the applicators.

ZYCOSIL+ is a unique technology platform which has ease of application, cost effective and is an unparalleled penetrative waterproofing solution based on nano technology, which enters the micro cracks and seals them to make them completely waterproof.