Win more time for people and structures
Intumescent systems offer halogen-free fire protection for people and property. Today, the use of intumescent systems is growing thanks to their safe chemical profile in terms of handling and environment, as well as their efficient protection that meets stringent fire safety regulations. Intumescent systems with Perstorp's Charmor™ are ideal as protective coatings and sealants in the construction industry, for fire resistant plastics in electrical, electronics and transportation.
Charmor™ range for intumescent systems
- Improves fire resistance with thick char barrier
- Secures supply with largest global production capacity
- Ensures high and consistent performance and polyol purity
- Non-toxic to provide safe, easy handling and storage
- Designed for the best performance & protection
Intumescent coatings and expandable sealants based on Charmor™ protect buildings and the people inside them, in the event of fire. Charmor™-based coatings and sealants slow the spread of fire, reduce heat and minimize dangerous smoke and fumes more effectively than any alternative products, facilitating safe evacuation and limiting structural damage. The Charmor™ range ensures the ultimate performance and protection on surfaces including steel and wood. For example, in buildings with structural steel profiles, which are increasingly common, the very high temperatures cause steel profiles to distort and become weaker, potentially leading to collapse. Steel loses its strength at about 500°C. Here, the extra time provided by Charmor™ compared to alternative products slows and even potentially prevents this process.
Charmor™ offers a rich carbon source that forms a thick fireresistant char barrier when the intumescent coating is exposed to high temperatures. When a layer of Charmor™-based intumescent coating, circa one millimeter thick, is exposed to 200°C heat or higher, it will swell up 10 to 100 times its size to build a foam char barrier that insulates the underlying material. And the high purity and consistency of Charmor™ improves the insulation effect of the intumescent coating and ultimately helps prevent the substrate from catching fire or distorting.
Development of the char barrier during the intumescent process The intumescent reaction is activated by heat at approximately 200°C. It is an endothermic reaction that absorbs heat, emits inert gases and creates an effective insulation layer.
- Thermoplastic resin melts to allow further chemical reactions to take place in a soft matrix
- Acid donor (ammonium polyphosphate) decomposes to form polyphosphoric acid
- Polyphosphoric acid reacts with carbon donor (Charmor™) to form an inorganic/organic ester
- Blowing agent (e.g., melamine) releases gases causing the ester to create a foam that form an insulating barrier which adheres to the substrate
- The ester decomposes to form a tough carbon matrix
Perstorp is member of Pinfa, which is the Phosphorus, Inorganic and Nitrogen Flame Retardants Association and is a Sector Group within Cefic.
A sustainable alternative for intumescent coating
You can differentiate your intumescent coating offer further by using Charmor™ Pro, an intumescent carbon donor offering the exact same high quality and technical properties as our standard Charmor™. Based on the mass balance concept, Charmor™ Pro is designed to reduce the carbon footprint and support sustainable sourcing of renewable raw material.
