Coating improves water resistance of adobe surfaces
A coating for adobe bricks developed in a research project makes them more resistant to contact with liquid water. Produced according to the sol-gel process, the coating effectively precludes contact between the adobe and liquid water. Water vapour, however, can still diffuse through the coating, so the moisture-regulating properties of the adobe remain fully intact. The coating is transparent as well as safe and harmless.
1 Introduction
Compared with other building materials, adobe products offer numerous advantages, including very good:
moisture-regulating properties
heat storage capacity
ecological and economic balance (resource-efficient, recyclable, low primary energy content, inexpensive)
Their one main drawback, however, is a lack of water resistance. On contact with water, adobe loses its strength and shape, because the clay minerals it contains begin to swell. Hence, a research project was devoted to developing a coating with which to prevent contact between the clay minerals and liquid water. Water...
