Of all the types of smog that poison the centers of large cities and highly industrialized neighborhoods, the most dangerous is that from vehicular transportation exhaust. Nitrogen oxides come back to us in the form of "acid rain" and highly toxic gases that damage our bronchi and lungs, causing a wide range of illnesses - from allergies and catarrh to cancer. The urban planners' dream is a city that defends itself against toxic fumes. Before our eyes, this dream is coming true!
StoColor Photosan facade paint is a photocatalytic paint. This means that sunlight (more precisely: UV rays) activates chemical processes (catalysis) on its surface, as a result of which poisonous nitrogen oxides become harmless nitrates. These run down the facade with the rain, without doing damage to the health and life of the residents.
Coatings that react chemically with what's on them are not a new invention. They have been used in various industries, from automotive to medical to construction, since the early 1970s. The essence of their operation, however, was the process of releasing some component of the coating into a deposit on the coating. Hence the problems with their durability and waning effectiveness over time: since some component of the coating was bound by other substances, it was lost over time....
Photocatalytic paint does not react with the deposit on it. It merely converts light into the energy needed to break down large nitrogen oxide molecules into small nitrate molecules. It is a catalyst - hence the name, by the way. And that is why, as time passes, its function does not diminish. Years later, it relieves us of smog just as well as it did on the first day after it was applied.
Smog, however, is not just nitrogen oxides. Also ozone, volatile organic compounds and water vapor. StoColor Photosan paint deals with them just as well. It is worth mentioning here that it works even on northern facades and those where light is hard to come by. What's more, it is strongly waterproof (class W3) and vapor resistant (class V1). The fact that larger particles "don't stick" to it determines its resistance to algae, fungi and the graying effect. All thanks to photocatalysis, without the use of biocides (poisonous algae- and fungicidal substances). Hence the intervals between renovations are significantly extended. Thus, the dream of environmentalists meets the dream of architects and builders: we are dealing with a facade material that, thanks to the same properties, cleans the air around it, is durable, aesthetic and indifferent to the environment!
Committed to sustainability, Sto has many other equally innovative products in its portfolio.
