Many state transportation departments use topical sealers to protect bridges and other concrete structures from melting snow, rain and salt. Those products can help, but as is often the case with moisture, it’s a losing battle. Nanomaterials – specifically graphene oxide and montmorillonite nanoclay – can be added to a commercial siliconate-based sealer to make the microstructure of concrete denser, making it more difficult for water to make its way into the material. The sealer also helped protect the concrete from the physical and chemical abuse inflicted by deicing salts.