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Water-repellent
glass
When water is poured onto glass, its surface tension
is reduced so that it spreads. The surface of glass is said to be
naturally wettable. However, this property may present certain drawbacks
in real life: for instance, during rainfall, the water droplets
running across the surface may distort vision through a car windshield.
To reverse this phenomenon, Saint-Gobain Recherche has developed
an organic water repellent film which can be grafted onto the glass.
This renders the glass non-wettable. The effects of this treatment
are similar to those of a Teflon kitchen utensil. The water slides
and flows off sloping surfaces, making them much easier to clean.
This treatment is currently applied on the side windows of automobiles.
It is called Aquacontrol® and has been developed in liaison with
Sekurit Saint-Gobain. During rain, the droplets of water run off
under the effect of the vehicle's speed and vision through the glass
is improved, especially the side mirrors.
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