Effects of EG and MoSi2 on thermal degradation of intumescent coating

An intumescent flame retardant coating was prepared with resin, solvent and flame retardant system composed of ammonium polyphosphate-APP, pentaerythritol-PER and melamine-MEL. The modifiers such as molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2) and expandable graphite (EG) were used to improve the performances of the APP–PER–MEL coating. The effects of EG, MoSi2 and MoSi2/EG on the fireproofing time and char formation of the coating were investigated by using heat insulation test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electric microscope (SEM). The results showed that by adding modifiers, the fireproofing time was prolonged and char formation rate was evidently enhanced. The largest improvement was achieved with 9wt.% MoSi2/5wt.% EG, XPS analysis indicated that the performance of anti-oxidation of the coating was improved by adding EG and MoSi2, and SEM images showed that a good synergistic effect was obtained through a ceramic-like layer produced by MoSi2 covered on the surface of “open-cellular” structural char.