Masonry Protection with Silanes, Siloxanes and

Silicone Resins
H Mayer
Wacker-Chemie GmbH, Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4, D-81737, Mtinchen, Germany

InlroduclJon Figure 1: Main groupsaf siliconeappli~tions for buildings

The title of this p a p e r is 'Masonry protection with silanes,
siloxanes and silicone resins' and not 'Masonry protection
with silicones'. What should b e pointed out about 'silanes,
siloxanes and silicone resins' is that these silicone products
which can b e summarized under 'silicone masonry water
repellents' are different to other silicones. It will b e
explained why these silicone masonry water repellents
belong to the 'silicone resin' class, and not to 'silicone elas-
tomers' (rubbers) nor to 'silicone fluids' (oils).

There are many applications of silicones for buildings.

These building applications can b e divided into tyro
groups, the 'silicone-rubber'applications and the 'silicone
resin'applic ations (Figure 1).

The main difIerence between silicone r u b b e r applications

and silicone resin applications in masonry protection is
that silicone rubbers seal m a s o n r y while silicone m a s o n r y
water rei~,ellents reduce capillary water a b s o r b e n c y of
mineral substrates or paints by constituting non film form-
ing c o m p o u n d s (Figure 2).

Therefore masonry protection in this p a p e r is undeBtood

as protection against water, ie waterproofing. This target
can b e reached by using the three dimensional net~.r~ork
formers silanes, siloxanes and silicone resins, which
belong to the silicone class 'silicone resins'. In what fbllows
they are called silicone masonry water repellents.

Chemistry of silicone masonry water repellents

Silicones Figure 2: Siliconerubber and silkone resin appli~lian
Silicones, known to chemists as polyorganosiloxanes, have
a structure similar to that of organically modified quartz.
They have a b a c k b o n e of alternating silicon and o ~ r g e n
atoms. The b a c k b o n e can b e modified in various ways
through the incorporation of c a r b o n - b a s e d side-groups
(R), for example, the most c o m m o n being methyl. In sili-
cone chemistry, four different siloxane functionalities are
distinguished (Figure 3). Monoft.lnctional units, denoted by
M, serve as chain terminators. Difunctional units, denoted
by D, are the b a c k b o n e of higher-mol-
ecular chains and cyclic compounds. Figure 3: Funclianalil[esof silkones
Trifunctional units, denoted by T cause
the molecules to crosslink in three
dimensions. Quadrifunctional units,
denoted by Q, yield three-dimension-
all)' crosslinked molecules similar to
silicates.

Silicones may b e fluid, resinous or

elastomeric in nature depending on
the configuration of the molecule.
Nearly all silicone products are
derived fi-om the following three %Tpes

Surface Coatings International 1998 (2) 89

of raw materials: silicone fluids, sili- Figure 5: Chemical strudures of the lhree lypes of silicone row moleriols: silicone fluids, silicone elostomers and
cone elastorners, silicone resins silicone resins

Silicone masonry water repellents

Silicone masonry water repellents are
b a s e d on T units, The latter from
silanes (monomers), siloxanes
(oligomers) and silicon resins (poly-
mers), From all of these the three-
dimensional network is finally yielded,

Silanes and siloxanes

In masonry protection, silanes and
siloxanes, more accurately called
alk%dalkoxysilanes and alky-
lalkoxysiloxanes, function as water
repellents (Figure 4), They enter into
polycondensation reactions on inor-
ganic substrates to yield a three-
dimensional netr that clogs nei-
ther pores nor capillaries, The reac-
tion is catalysed by moisture and releases the bound alco-
hol as a b y - p r o d u c t Siloxanes with a low d e g r e e of con-
densation are similar in properties to rnonomeric silanes
and are termed oligorneric siloxanes, Siloxanes that are
more highly condensed, yet still soluble in organic sol-
vents, are the silicone resins, Responsible for the water
repellency and water-vapour permeabili%r is the polysilox-
ane fbrrned ultimately fi-om the silane and the siloxane, Its
resistance to alkalis d e p e n d s on its content of long-chain
organic substituents, More formulations ha,re b e e n
devised for silane/siloxane mixtures than for any other
water repellents, For use on impervious surfaces such as
concrete, they are usually richer in silane while, for highly
absorbent ones, such as natural stone, they are richer in
siloxane, The addition of a synthetic resin m a k e s them oil-
repellent They are generally thinned with organic solvents
for use as water repellents, oil repellents and chemical
damp-proofing agents, but they are also available as water-
b o r n e products, For example as silicone microernulsion
concentrates they have the advantage of being thinnable
with water, and economical packaging due to their con-
centrated form,
Figure 4: Chemical strudures of silones and siloxanes
ous emulsions for use into silicone resin paints and plas-
ters, They are either solvent-borne or sob,rent-f?ee accord-
ing to the manufacturing process, But no matter how they
are made, silicone resin emulsions aMays yield transpar-
ent, tack free coatings of silicone resin when applied to
glass,
Silicone masonry water repellents are polysiloxanes that
contain crosslinkable side-chains, Their chemical structure
enables them to bond to the substrate and to act as a water
repellent without irnpaking the abilibr of the substrate to
breathe,
Silicone m a s o n r y water repellents prevent water from
being a b s o r b e d by vertical and steeply sloping surfaces,
such as building facades and any a b s o r b e d is rapidly
released again in dry weather, The building, therefore,
remains dry and does not suffer f~-orn d a m a g e from mois-
ture,
Their abili V to 'wet' the surface, capillaries and pores of
the building material is a result of their molecular struc-
ture, In a sense, the organic groups (R) act like the bristles
of a 'molecular brush', preventing the building fhorn getting
wet, not by sealing the pores but rather by holding the
water at bay (Figure 6), Since the pores and capillaries
remain open, the material remains p e r m e a b l e to water
vapour,

Figure 6: The function of T-unil based silicone rnosonry water repellents in mineral
capillaries

Silicone resins
Silicone resh~s are high-molecular, three-dimensionally
crosslinked compounds whose structure r e s e m b l e s that of
quartz, ie, the b a c k b o n e is m a d e up of silicon and oxygen
atoms, In quartz, the silicon atom bonds to 4 oxygen atomsl
in silicone resins, it bonds to 8, with the fourth bond being
to an organic group, denoted by R (eg, methyl) (Figure 5),
The resins are thus said to have an organo-rnodified quartz
structure, The organic group, R, m a k e s the paint repel
water, The Si-O-Si b a c k b o n e rendeB it p e r m e a b l e to
water vapour and is also responsible for its pigment bind-
ing power, This is why resins serve as bindeB in m a s o n r y
coatings, Silicone resins are supplied in the form of aque-

90 Surface Coalings Inlernaliona11998 (2)