I used the
turtle wax hybrid on my car the other day and it wanted me to wait 24 hours for a second coat which I didn't have time to do which made me wonder with these compounds and the time people are waiting for it to full "cure". I can't see from my view what exactly is curing? Spray on a clear coat, sure there is some thickness to it and off gassing that need to make its way through the thickness of the coat. That's why they usually tell you not to do anything to the coat for a few week to a month. But ceramic coating? You are applying this material. letting it haze, and then buffing it. What exactly is left to cure and what is is curing too? It can only be a few atoms thick. I think I need a subatomic physicist to explain what this waiting time for curing is. I'm not buying it.
Not sure what's not to buy. Do you think it's a scam or something? I don't think anyone gains from recommending a curing time.
Here's some info from NanoPro:
Curing Stages of Ceramic Coatings – NANOPRO..
Curing Stages of Ceramic Coatings
Ceramic coatings are meant to provide an additional layer of protection for your paint, a film derived from a reaction between an oligomer, a catalyst, and humidity (water).
The coating has a SiO2 ceramic matrix that includes the condensation product of hydrolyzed alkoxysilane and a colloidal silica sol.
Ceramic coating materials have two main components of silicon dioxide: One is silica sol which is pure SiO2, another is an organoalkoxysilane which is an organic-inorganic hybrid material.
Both materials can make a strong chemical bond from the chemical reaction, condensation. (ORX ′ )X 4−x (ORX′)X4−x groups are hydrolyzed
with water and then make condensation with silica sol and each other.
The ceramic coating is applied by a sol-gel process. Two kinds of hydrophobic organic compounds make a
chemical bond with the silica ceramic network or matrix and exist in the ceramic structure at a stable state.
The main matrix is composed of a network of silica formed by the chemical reaction or condensation of colloidal silica sol and an organoalkoxysilane such as MTMS (methyltrimethoxysilane).
The surface of colloidal silica is coated by organoalkoxysilanes, in other words, hydrolyzed organoalkoxysilane make a thin layer or coating on the silica surface as a result of the condensation reaction with the hydroxyl groups of the silica surface.
The phrase
“nano-ceramic” is often said when referring to SiO2 coatings, which are only the
Ceramics. The
Nano materials used in coatings usually contain Silanes and Polysiloxanes as hydrophobic agents.
The ceramic molecules are formed in a non-amorphic structure, which gives the coating very high flexibility features, compared to regular glass.
The Silanes (SiH3) are nano molecules while Siloxanes are micro molecules, in addition, Siloxanes are bonded into the ceramic structure of the coating while Silanes are not.
Siloxanes are less sensitive to water spots, whiles Silanes require a topcoat in order to prevent them from reacting with calcium and make “water-spots”.
That is the reason why topcoats, in general, are often made from Functional-Siloxanes and rather from Silanes.
Application tips and guidelines:
The curing time of a ceramic coating depends a lot on the amount of catalyst added to the formula and the humidity rate of the environment.
As written in the chemical explanation, the coating reacts with water at its initial curing stage in order to form the SiO2 molecules, therefore, at the leveling stage of a ceramic coating (right after application), it is possible to use a damp or slightly humid towel in order to properly level the coating the vehicle’s surface without the fear of hurting the coating or making water spots. If you chose to use a damp towel, It’s recommended to do so right after the spreading of the ceramic coating on the surface – the buffing will be much easier, and there is no risk of hurting the ceramic coating as long as the coating is fresh and it hasn’t reached the tack-free stage.
Once the coating reaches the tack-free stage, that means that the polysilazane groups are fully hydrolyzed with water and the coating is
dry to the touch. Do not get the surface wet again for at least 7 days.
The hydrolysis of the silica leaves some the catalyst
still active and therefore can slowly react with humidity and make the entire surface become hazy white. Some confuse it with water spots – these are white reaction areas of the catalyst with water.
