Glass, self-cleaning

Pilkington United Kingdom Limited

Pilkington made a significant step in the glass industry with the development of Pilkington Activ™, the first dual-action self-cleaning glass.

The Pilkington Activ™ range includes products which benefit from both self-cleaning and solar control properties helping to create an environment that can be used all year round.

Pilkington Activ™ is effectively the same as conventional glass, but with a specially developed coating on the outside that has a dual action. Once exposed to daylight, the coating chemically reacts in two ways. Firstly, it breaks down any organic dirt deposits, such as bird droppings and tree sap, and secondly, rainwater sheets down the glass to wash the loosened dirt away.

Breaking down organic dirt is achieved using a photocatalytic process: the coating reacts with ultra-violet rays present in natural daylight to break down and decompose organic dirt.
Washing dirt away is achieved when the rainwater hits the glass. Pilkington Activ™ is hydrophilic, which means that instead of forming droplets, the water spreads evenly over the surface and as it runs off takes the dirt with it. Compared with conventional glass, the water dries off very quickly, reducing unsightly drying spots.

Pilkington Activ™ can be combined with other products from the Pilkington range to provide the required benefits, such as solar control, thermal insulation, safety, security or decoration, and is also available for structural glazing as Pilkington Planar Activ™.

For more information visit Pilkington's website.