The HYDROTECT® technology has been licensed out to over 100 manufacturers all over the world in the most diverse areas of application, from car-making to building. The owner of the patent is the Japanese holding TOTO, a global leader in photo-catalytic technology, with which Casalgrande Padana has entered into a Master Agreement. With the HYDROTECT® technology, the Bios Self-Cleaning® ceramics in facings and ventilated walls provide important responses through their self-cleaning and NOx-reduction properties (NOx are nitrogen oxides and compounds, largely responsible for urban air pollution). In particular, Bios Self-Cleaning® can combine the well-known aesthetic features and performance of unglazed stoneware ceramic facings with a dramatic reduction in the need to clean or maintain the surfaces, which translates into remarkable savings and a long-lasting quality and appearance of the architectural features.
Bioactive properties for exterior facings
The exclusive formulation of Bios Self-Cleaning® contains titanium dioxide (TiO2), a natural substance traditionally used as a white pigment and to make food additives, toothpaste, makeup and so on. Because of its titanium dioxide content, Bios Self-Cleaning® can perform to the highest standards, especially as a facing, to which it adds:
- photo-catalytic properties, which, when triggered by light, can break up the organic substances and pollutants on the tile surface for a self-cleaning, air cleansing effect.
- super-hydrophilic properties, which make the most of its self-cleaning properties. The higher the UV light on the treated surface, the smaller its angle of contact with water, which after a reasonable time is next to zero. This means that the water will easily spread and wash off. Basically, the effect of the titanium dioxide that breaks up the organic matter on the treated surface is supported, through photo-catalysis, by the hydrophilic effect, whereby rainwater washes off any stain from the tile surface.