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Member: NACE (National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers), SSPC (Soc. of Protective Coatings)
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Introduction:
In the 50 or so years that epoxies have been in existence, one of the technological advances was the introduction
of cycloaliphatic curing agents ten or twenty years ago. For many years it was the 'secret weapon' of epoxy formulators.
The addition of cycloaliphatic curatives in the Part B (hardener or curing agent) of epoxy resin systems greatly
improves the epoxy. Usually the Part B is a blend of curing agents selected due to properties and/or price. Generally,
cycloaliphatic curing agents (and their are several) are more expensive than the regular/standard curing agents.
Benefits of Cycloaliphatics:
Cycloaliphatics are known for their:
* improved 'weatherability'
* water/moisture tolerance
* resistance to blushing and water spotting
* better chemical resistance.
The ring structure (the 'cyclo' part) also provides (in many cases) a bit more structural 'stretch' than the traditional straight chain curing agent. This provides for better 'impact' resistance (note: 'hard' epoxies, on the other hand, offer better abrasion resistance).
The benefits and higher quality of cycloaliphatic epoxies becomes more obvious if you perform an internet search
for "cycloaliphatic epoxy". You'll find nearly all the search results refer to cycloaliphatic epoxy electrical
insulators in comparison to traditional ceramic glass insulation. You'll find, after a bit of reading, that the
insulator industry likes the long lasting, weatherability of cycloaliphatic epoxy insulators and think them suitable
for long term outdoor exposure. There is no mention of non-cycloaliphatic epoxies.
The conclusion is that the most or all of the top grade, exterior quality, high performance epoxies use a Part
B curing agent blend consisting partially of cycloaliphatics. Thus, checking the MSDS of the Part B side of an
epoxy product for mention of cycloaliphtics is a good way to judge the quality and performance of the epoxy (just
like epoxies with a necessary induction time are often low end epoxies - visit our Epoxy 101 web site).
Cycloaliphatic chemistry explained by "The Chemist"
- the hands-down expert on epoxies - in a 2/18/03 post on the Wooden Boat Forum --
"The cycloaliphatic structure refers to a six-member carbon-atom ring in the backbone of the curing agent
instead of carbon-carbon linkages between amines in some other curing agents such as West or Sys. 3. The cycloaliphatic
curing agents have the amine groups connected to the rings. Both use Diglycidyl ether of Bisphenol-A as the major
component of the epoxide curing agent, and both contain benzyl alcohol, a volatile plasticizer which acts as a
molecular lubricant and facilitates curing [although systems with cycloaliphatic curing agents contain much more,
typically 20-30%, as they simply do not cure more than about half-way at room temperature without it.]
While the cycloaliphatic ring is resistant somewhat to Uv degradation, more that the carbon-carbon linkages between
amines in some other types of curing agents, both contain the aromatic ring structure of diglycidyl ether of Bisphenol-A,
which breaks down fairly readily on UV exposure, and both contain amines; these give both molecular breakdown and
yellowing all by themselves.
None of these structures should be considered UV-stable, even though the cycloaliphatic structures are better than
the aliphatic amine-structures in that regard."
Now that you know about cycloaliphatic epoxy curing agents, you should also know about the use of nonyl-phenol in epoxies as well.
MORE ABOUT - COMPARING MARINE EPOXIES - WHAT TO LOOK FOR - OURS
AND THEIRS - CLICK
Cycloaliphatic Epoxies offered by Progressive Epoxy Polymers,
Inc.:
Progressive offers several different cycloaliphatic epoxies:
Premium No Blush - (CLICK
here to view in our marine
catalog and CLICK here to view in our industrial catalog) - Generally used as a marine epoxy.
Water Gard 300 - (CLICK here
to view in our marine
catalog and CLICK here to view in our industrial catalog) - Generally used as an industrial
epoxy or marine barrier coat epoxy. Color - white - light blue.
NSP 120 - potable water version
of our Water Gard 300 (CLICK here to view in our industrial catalog) - Generally used as an industrial
epoxy epoxy. Color - white - light blue.
Wet Dry 700 - (CLICK here
to view in our marine
catalog and CLICK here to view in our industrial catalog) - Generally used as patch/repair
product - a kevlar (tm) epoxy paste that works underwater.
Corro Coat FC 2100 - (CLICK
here to view in our marine
catalog and CLICK here to view in our industrial catalog) - Generally used as an industrial
epoxy or marine barrier coat epoxy. Contains Kevlar (tm) and feldspar ceramic which reduces the natural 'give/flex'
of cycloaliphatics, resulting in a harder, more abrasive resistant coating. Color gray.
ESP 155 - (CLICK here to
view in our marine
catalog and CLICK here to view in our industrial catalog) - A clear epoxy primer and sealer.
Solvent based for max. penetration. Generally epoxies used as primers use lots of solvents and the lowest quality
epoxy available. ESP is an amazing exception, probably nothing else like it available. It uses a top of the line
cycloaliphatic curing system as a starting point!
DATA SHEETS - MSDS for these products - CLICK HERE
Cycloaliphatics in Marine Epoxies:
As far as we can determine, our Premium No Blush is the only cycloaliphtic marine epoxy available, despite their
obvious benefits. This is probably because:
* cycloaliphatic curatives are more expensive
* many marine epoxies pre-date cycloaliphatics
* no one else is/was doing it and the end-users wouldn't understand or appreciate the benefits
* the marine epoxy market is static and small compared to industrial epoxies (when was the last time you heard of a marine epoxy 'advance'?)
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