1. What is Ceramic Coating?

It is a polymer coating, which acts as a second skin to the clear coat to protect it from dust, UV rays, bird droppings, water spots, and scratches.

In contrast to waxes or silicones, the car coating can chemically bond to the top coat of paint, offering outperforming durability. This is why ceramic coating for cars comes with a lifetime warranty and no aftercare plan – it is the most permanent system based on micro-and nanotechnology in the modern era.

And here is the first surprise: There are two durable technologies available – organic and inorganic!

Phew! So, we have to dissect both to learn more about the impact on the car paint.

Organic coatings have the following characteristics:

A. Water repellent and non-stick effect: brake dust and dirt can be easily removed (not self-cleaning!)

B. UV protection: the aging process of protected surfaces is slowed down by additional UV ray blockers.

C. Paint protection film to protect against micro-scratches: This protection film will not save your car’s body during an accident, but it will help prevent the swirl marks that appear in the lacquer after a car wash. This means avoiding paint correction and polishing in the future.

D. Corrosion protection and hardness: a dense three-dimensional network results in sealing out humidity, salt, air, and other environmental elements.

E. Anti-graffiti effects: the coated surface repels permanent markers and graffiti, making these marks easy to remove.

Chemically speaking, it is a “pre-ceramic” coating, since an original transparent ceramic material can only be created by curing it at a temperature above 800 degrees, which I don´t think is applicable in real life.

Inorganic sealants are quite different:

A. Although they have a powerful nonstick effect, they are not very water repellent. This is why ceramic coating brands that work exclusively with inorganic solutions apply a finish or a top coat for beading and shedding.

B. The protective characteristics are outstanding, due to their pore-free curing possibilities. Unparalleled corrosion and scratch protection with a pencil hardness of 9H are easily achieved.

C. Anti-graffiti effects are similar to those of the organic options.

And here is the second surprise from the chemical side: This protective technology consists of only inorganic quartz. Yes, there’s no ceramic coat at all. This application is quite complicated since it is not compatible with common wetting agents or solvents used in paint engineering. This is why brands are offering “5 layers of ceramic pro” – one layer may not be thick enough to act as a real paint coating.

The conclusion from the first answer: Ceramic coatings work and outperform all available products, but there is no ceramic on the final car body…but hey, if we as chemists created the marketing, the world would be boring place. Now that you understand the two protective coating systems described above, you’ll likely want to know…

2. Where can I find the best ceramic coatings?

The next surprise: the organic and inorganic raw materials used to formulate the polymers are made in Germany or Japan. You shouldn’t assume that a supplier outside of these countries is a scam or fraud, but in terms of the price-performance ratio, you will need to think about shipping and importing costs. However, to be fair, the real quality of such paint coatings is a result of formulation with the right solvents and additives, which makes the country of origin less important.

By the way – I’ve noticed a recent flood of finishes marketed as ceramic paint coatings, which are based on waxes or silicones. This means old stuff with a new label and could be considered fraud, since car detailers normally do not have all the knowledge included in this article and primarily learn about durability and protection options via videos on the web.

For comparison: silicones and waxes do not offer any of the described characteristics except water repellency, which can be determined visually. This quality is usually discussed on YouTube in “beading/shedding” videos from auto industry influencers.

So how would an expert detect such fraud? A quality paint sealant should:

A. Have the strong scent of ammonium hydroxide – organic and inorganic ceramic pro coating solutions can’t be manufactured without it.

B. Be sensitive to humidity – they react with air humidity to create a chemical bond.

C. Be sold in pressure-resistant aluminum or glass bottles – they can create pressure in the bottle.

D. Not be IPA or ethanol-based – these coatings are either silane or polysiloxane technology, which only has a fraction of the durability and protection of true ceramic coatings.

Isn´t that easy? You can identify low-quality products through smell, curing, packaging and ingredients listed on the MSDS!

3. What are its limitations?

B. The protective characteristics are outstanding, due to their pore-free curing possibilities. Unparalleled corrosion and scratch protection with a pencil hardness of 9H are easily achieved.

C. Anti-graffiti effects are similar to those of the organic options.

4. What is the difference between Nano Coating, Ceramic Coating, and Diamond Coating?

Ceramic and Diamond Coating are branded synonyms. I hope that the Diamond brand name refers to the shiny effect and brilliance and not to the hardness because it is a far cry from the 9H pencil hardness of a ceramic coat (up to 10 on the Mohs scale of a Diamond).

Nano coatings for car lacquer, which were mainly sold from 2000-2008, protect the car lacquer for a shorter duration because they need a lot of OH groups to bond. This makes them highly effective as a glass coating for windshields but not as paint protection.

5. Can it be applied as a do-it-yourself product?

If you search the web, most articles say no. This is for a few reasons:

– The formulated nanoceramic is badly formulated and leaves hologram or rainbow effects if applied without adequate training.

– The brand wants to assure quality or to earn money based on its certification (most of the times both).

– The paint protection shall be exclusive for marketing reasons.

From my work at Nano-Care, I can say that those products can be applied DIY with a short, maybe 5-minute, training. The bulk of the work is surface preparation.

6. How do I apply Ceramic Coating on my car and how long does it take?

Step 1: General cleaning with car shampoo or soaps.
Step 2: Paint correction and clay bar (optional).
Step 3: Degreasing—removal of all residues on the car’s surface.
Step 4: Application of the ceramic coating on car – apply some drops on a less absorbent microfiber towel and distribute the liquid without pressure. In most cases, rainbow effects appear, and you can wait 2-5 mins for evaporation. During this step, the coating is absorbing the air humidity to bond to the car paint. Afterward, continue by gently wiping until the surface is completely free of coating residues.

The reaction with air humidity means that you have to control it at the time of application. 30-80% humidity levels are necessary to achieve a proper result and bonding. You should also avoid temperatures below 10 or higher than 30 degrees Celsius. You can expect surface preparation to last 3-12 hours and coating to take 2-3 hours for one average-sized car.

#7. What are the costs of a Ceramic Car Coating?

#8. Are there new inventions or innovations in development?

Yes, and my boss (greetings to him) might be not happy with me about posting this video:

It shows a transparent protective film with self-cleaning properties. Yes, you are right – the future of car detailing will involve keeping your car clean with one step – you will only have to refresh this Nano-Care superhydrophobic finish with a simple spray. The film improves the repellency from the Petal effect to the Cassi Baxter state. Interested? Soon, I will release a new article all about superhydrophobic coatings, so stay tuned.

This new generation of ultra-hydrophobic sealants is solving a big problem, which the product Neverwet failed at addressing in the past. That product left a white residue on most car surfaces. This new superhydrophobic finish far surpasses those results.

For preliminary information, please contact my colleagues at Nano-Care.

Never need a car wash again? nano care superhydrophobic ceramic coating finish

The future of car detailing and ceramic coatings: superhydrophobic nanoCnano caresh on car paint providing a self-cleaning effect

#9. What are the further applications of ceramic technology?

For planes…

- - Protection of the airplane fuselage from dirt and aging
  - Facilitates de-icing
  - Improves the durability of decorative and strongly stressed plastics and synthetic materials
  - Protects surfaces from vandalism

For boats…

- - Protects hulls from aging, and corrosion and provides anti-fouling protection
  - Corrosion protection for precious metals on deck
  - Delays wear and tear of decorative elements on deck
  - Facilitates easy cleaning of saltwater residues

For buildings…

- - Reliable protection from stains in the interior – kitchen worktops made of quartz, granite, marble, etc.
  - Prevention from visible fingerprints (anti-fingerprint) on structured surfaces such as stainless steel kitchen exhaust hoods, elevators, and handrails
  - Long-term protection for aluminum, synthetic or stainless steel facades from UV radiation, weathering influences, and acid rain

For industry…

- Easy-clean performance in food production (production lines, tanks, reactors)
- Non-stick coating for pipelines, reactors used in the chemical industry, machines, and utility vehicles
- Easy displacement of biofilms

10. Can I see a case study?

I conducted a “real-life” test with my grill. I coated the right half with the Nano-Care product Nanoflex Dura HD in May 2018.

Then I used it all summer but left it outside without a cover. Also, in the autumn, it stayed outside without any protection other than this nanoceramic-enabled product.

The winter came like in Game of Thrones, and in Germany, we generally have wet and cold nights with snow and freezing temperatures. The grill was also not under a roof, so the forces of nature could rage for 12 months.

I was astonished myself: of course, you could already see during the application that this would become a meaningful experiment. The deepening of the color of the product on the aluminium happened quickly – dried fingerprints or dried rain and fat droplets were hardly visible. Also, they were as easy to clean as a PTFE-coated frying pan.

The result after one year nevertheless sets new standards: an incipient corrosion on the aluminium lid was suffocated in the core and the aging of the plastic cladding was delayed. I only need to wipe it once more with a damp cloth before continuing to grill this year.

Conclusion

If you use high-quality products, you also get an excellent and sustainable result. However, you should always keep in mind that, according to the current state-of-the-art technology, no self-cleaning is to be expected, but you will see excellent anti-adhesive properties. In the laboratory in Germany, improvements are still being made and, as you can see in the video, it will not be long before ceramic coatings for cars can also be equipped with superhydrophobic effects.

Ceramic Coatings for Cars