Creating Hydrophylic Glass Surfaces

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Why would someone want to make glass hydrophylic?  Simply because a surface that causes rain water to sheet instead of bead will not spot.  It would be easier to keep the window from developing hard water deposits.  Also to just keep it clean in general.

As it turns out window glass is typically hydrophylic by nature. One reason why it is seen to be hydrophobic is the presence of different water hating contaminants.  So one very easy way to make it hydrophylic is to polish it with a cerium oxide or other polish.  According to Marc Tanner this is a rather permanent solution to the problem.  Surprisingly it is a rather quick process too.  Taking just a matter of several minutes per window.

Another way to make glass hydrophylic is to hit it with a very dilute concentration of hydrofluoric acid.  Down to just 1 percent.  This will clear the glass of everything and etch it.  The glass will become very hydrophylic.  Although I would never suggest doing this I bring it up here just to help with the idea of hydrophylic glass surfaces and what is involved in creating them.

Another way to create such a surface is to use an organosilane that would react with the glass and form a hydrophylic coating. Preferably one that would last for some time and not be degraded by ultraviolet radiation.  Likewise one that would not be attacked by the high alkaline pH of ground water.  I don't think longevity would be very important if we were able to apply it every time the windows were cleaned.  I know a silicon chemist up in Canada who tells me anything is possible. The bottom line here is how much money would the company make off creating such a product?

Another solution would be the cleaning solution itself.  If it were based on what I call a Super Soap otherwise known as a Super Wetter, we could make the cleaner/rinse sheet over even hydrophobic surfaces.  And do this at very low costs.  Here we are not addressing the glass surface but rather the cleaning solution itself.  These Super Wetting surfactants are even capable of sheeting over surfaces that have been treated with products like Rain X.  As Malcolm says "Work Wiser With Wetter Water"!   

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Written by Henry Grover Jr.
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