The Advantages of Using Graphene Coatings

Long-term protection for your car is always a wise investment. For instance, adding a specialized coating to the car body will extend its life and make it way more attractive.

In such cases, you should never look at the initial cost. But think in the long run. Every car can look gorgeous fresh from the dealership, but keeping it in a mint condition after many years is a whole other story.

In the last decade or so, car owners have started paying serious attention to detailing, especially coatings.

You might have heard of ceramic coating, but there’s another type that’s a bit more obscure: graphene coating.

It’s a fairly new product on the detailing market, but it’s already proven a vital innovation (though the material itself is far from new).

Its properties lend themselves perfectly to vehicle protection, and detailers are already putting it to excellent use. Click here for more.

What is Graphene

Let’s give a bit of introduction before we delve into the benefits of using graphene on cars. Some people refer to it as “the material of the future” or use phrases like “it will take over the world.”

Though bombastic, there’s a lot of truth in these statements. Graphene consists of an extremely thin layer of carbon atoms, and scientists call it two-dimensional as it’s many times thinner than paper. And if you think this makes it weak and flimsy, you better think again.

Actually, graphene is incredibly strong due to the arrangement of the atoms. The layer we mentioned is composed of atoms in hexagons bonded together to create a substantial layer.

But inside it, something unusual is happening: ultra-fast movement of electrons that behave as if they have no mass.

These characteristics are admired in the scientific world, so engineers are constantly working on new ways to exploit its far-reaching potential.

So far, it has been primarily applied in electronics, like transparent screens and transistors, and solar cells.

But our article here is concerned with car detailing, so let’s see what the fuss is all about. Find out more at https://www.paint.org/coatingstech-magazine/articles/graphene-coatings-exciting-properties-and-wide-ranging-potential/.

High-Level Protection

Graphene’s structure is called honeycomb, just like the natural honey storage made by bees (although it has a slightly different application in car detailing.)

Apart from its excellent chemical properties, graphene coatings offer a high water contact angle, making them hydrophobic, something that’s always desirable for a car coating.

We’ll compare it with ceramic coatings in this regard a bit later after we check out a few other benefits.

First of all, a graphene layer serves as an excellent shield against corrosion. Since car bodies are made of metal, you realize how they would benefit from a chemically resistant (inert) coating.

Driving in humid conditions will inevitably result in corrosion if you leave the car unprotected, and it’s always an ugly sight.

Ceramics and graphite are also highly resistant to chemicals, but they’re brittle, whereas graphene is much tougher.

The anti-corrosion properties come in handy when it’s time for winter road salt, which is highly corrosive and can easily damage your car.

Next, these coatings are incredibly durable. Thanks to its structure, they last longer than the competition, so you won’t have to worry about re-application soon.

People have also started using it on boats, where the water-resistant coating will leave the metal or plastic intact for a long time.

In fact, this protection can last up to five years, during which period your vehicle can go through thick and thin without suffering damage. Learn more on this website.

Seeing that harsh weather is a car’s worst enemy, it’s advisable to use the best available option for protection.

Besides being 200 times stronger than steel, graphene is flexible, very slick, abrasion-resistant, etc.

Graphene vs. Ceramic

Ceramic coatings are already well-recognized in the auto industry; they’re sturdy and offer great protection in their own right. However, graphene is objectively better in several important ways.

As for hydrophobia, the honeycomb structure fares significantly better than heat-retaining ceramics. And why is this relevant?

Because water leaves annoying spots on the car’s body, ruining its appearance. With a graphene layer on top of the paint, no spots or swirls can be formed, resulting in a beautiful, spotless, and uniform surface.

Polishing water spots is a waste of time and money, so it’s best if you can avoid it altogether.
Graphene is also an effective dust repellant.

It doesn’t allow particles to settle down and give your vehicle that despicable dusty look because of its high conductivity and anti-static properties.

Sure, you’ll have to wipe it now and again, but it will always look cleaner and shinier than a coat-free car. Also, graphene coatings have a very high gloss and add depth to the existing paint. They give your vehicle a flashy attractiveness that will surely turn some heads around.

In the world of coatings, there’s some preparation involved before you apply them. It’s best to let professionals take care of the application.

It requires controlled conditions, where they do thorough washing and decontamination before putting on the coating.

They follow the same procedure in graphene and ceramic coating application, so there’s not much difference in ease of application.

Naturally, detailing services have more experience with ceramics since they’ve been long on the market, but the principle is much the same.

We should also mention pricing while we’re at it. When talking about graphene vs ceramic coatings, the former is usually more expensive (though you can find products for less than $100.)

However, the difference is negligible considering the durability and cost-effectiveness you get with graphene.

Getting long-lasting protection is always worth the investment, especially if you’re into long rides in all weather conditions.

Final Thoughts

Taking proper care of your car always pays off in the long run. Combining professional detailing services with cleaning kits is guaranteed to keep it fresh for years to come.

And adding a coating is a cherry on top, no matter which type you choose. We saw that graphene coatings rank slightly higher than ceramics, though both do a bang-up job.