DFI’s nanotechnology, patented in the US as Diamon Fusion®, is an
award-winning technology that uses a chemical vapor deposition process.
DFI’s nanotechnology is applicable to most surfaces containing silica (silicon
dioxide) such as glass, ceramic tile, porcelain, and granite. The specially formulated
vapors react with the moisture on the surface and the silica in the substrate (to
be treated). DFI’s nanotechnology is generated by a two-stage chemical process:
Stage 1
The chemical reaction created in the first stage causes a “cross-linked”
and “branched” silicone film to be grown from below the surface out.
After converting the chlorine atoms to OH groups using additional moisture (chlorine
was left at the end of the atom chains after the first stage), a second specially
formulated vapor is introduced to the surface.
Stage 2
The second stage ‘caps’ the entire chain of atoms. This unique ‘capping’
substantially increases the hydrophobicity and durability, leaving, chemically speaking,
no points of attachment for contaminants and creating a truly repellant charge.
DFI’s NANO-CHEMISTRY
The chemical reaction bonds to form an ultra-thin protective layer of optically
clear durable material, a nanostructurated device, making the surface significantly
easier to clean and more resistant to weathering. This method is done at nano-scale
levels, thus also called ‘nano-chemistry’, which is a length scale
of approximately 1 – 100 nanometer range (1 nanometer is 1/1,000,000,000 meter,
or 1 billionth of a meter). Nanometer dimensions are at the atomic dimension scale.
DFI’s COVALENT BOND
The bond created in the patented process is a covalent bond, the strongest possible
bond, in chemical terms that a hydrophobic coating can generate. A covalent bond
means that the coating shares the electrons within the glass itself, thus becoming
a part of the glass. Covalent Bonds are approximately 10 times stronger than hydrogen-bridge
bonds, which are commonly present in most other water repellent coatings.