2019
UK
The Client
A family-owned SME, active in the construction chemicals industry with a strong focus on polyurethane waterproofing coatings.
The company had developed a 1K aliphatic polyurethane waterproofing topcoat for exterior application, however, the system offered poor tensile properties due to the evolution of CO2.
Carbon dioxide generation will affect the film integrity resulting in delamination from the concrete primer and potential water penetration causing structural weakness. In addition, due to bubble formation, the final coating lacked the desired aesthetic requirements (downglossing).
The Solution
The company approached Incorez to discuss their technical issues, and to learn more about the Incozol® latent curing agent technology. Incorez’s application team proposed the use of Incozol EH bis-oxazolidine technology. The customer had limited experience of formulating with bis-oxazolidine technology and received extensive formulation support to find a solution.
By using Incozol EH as a latent curing agent, the company was able to formulate a range of high quality, durable coatings.
The Benefits
Incozol EH is used in a wide variety of 1K aliphatic moisture triggered polyurethane coatings. The technology lends itself to high build exterior waterproofing applications such as roof, floor and balcony coatings.
In a traditional moisture cure reaction, moisture reacts directly with the terminal isocyanate of the prepolymer, generating carbon dioxide. In a moisture triggered system, moisture reacts preferentially with the Incozol EH bis-oxazolidine rather than with the prepolymer’s terminal isocyanate groups. This results in greater crosslinking (faster through cure) but without carbon dioxide evolution, which leads to bubbling, pin-holing and down-glossing.
The addition of Incozol EH in the company’s formulation provided fast through cure, without CO2 evolution and improved durability. In addition, the customer appreciated the product’s low temperature storage stability (liquid at -15°C).
