New intumescent flame‐retardant agent: Application to polyurethane coatings

Abstract The first part of this investigation focused on the synthesis and characterization of a new type of intumescent flame‐retardant (IFR) agent. Four steps were used in the synthesis process. The structure was characterized by FTIR, magic‐angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS‐NMR) 13 C spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The addition of an IFR agent into polyurethane (PU) varnish led to an improvement in its carbonization and flame‐retardant (FR) properties. The second part focused on the evaluation of such characteristics as FR property, thermal stability of IFR/PU‐based coatings, rheology of IFR/PU‐based coating solutions, and mechanical properties such as hardness, adhesion, and flexibility of IFR/PU‐based dry coating films. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1193–1206, 2004