Germany's BASF & Sika develop epoxy hardener for construction industry

BASF and Sika have jointly developed a new amine building block for curing epoxy resins, which is now commercially available under BASF’s Baxxodur EC 151 brand. This new development is particularly interesting for flooring applications, for example, in production plants, storage and assembly halls, as well as parking decks.

Baxxodur EC 151 gives epoxy resin flooring solutions a low viscosity and optimum flow properties. As a result, the coatings are easy to apply and spread evenly. Compared to conventional hardeners, significantly less thinner is required, and up to 90 percent less volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released. Baxxodur EC 151 thus enables the production of ultra-low VOC formulations. It also allows for greater use of mineral fillers, which not only lowers costs but also contributes to sustainability.

Epoxy resin coatings formulated with Baxxodur EC 151 cure quickly and thoroughly over a wide temperature range. This extends their applicability during colder months of the year, especially at temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius, where conventional hardeners tend to “freeze”. Compared with conventional hardeners, the curing time is reduced by up to two thirds, meaning that the coating can be walked on shortly after application.

The cured epoxy resin products are characterized by an aesthetic, glossy surface. Clouding, which is caused by haze formation (so-called “blushing”) and which occurs with conventional hardeners, particularly in edge areas, is avoided. The products have excellent color stability and are resistant to mechanical and chemical influences. This makes them particularly durable and significantly reduces maintenance costs.

As part of the research cooperation, Sika has developed the new amine building block as a high-performance hardener for more efficient and sustainable epoxy products and successfully applied it in Sikafloor floor coatings. BASF has developed a suitable manufacturing process and scaled it up from the laboratory to production scale.

“The development of Baxxodur EC 151 is further evidence of how we are supporting our customers in their green transformation,” says Vasilios Galanos, Senior Vice President, Intermediates Europe, BASF. “Working with Sika, we bring our extensive chemistry expertise to successfully implement new sustainable solutions through scalable and cost-efficient processes.”

“Baxxodur EC 151 makes an important contribution to a resource-saving future in the construction industry,” says Urs Burckhardt, Head of Research at Sika. “The close collaboration between Sika and BASF was crucial to the development of this innovative solution, which enables our customers to achieve their efficiency and sustainability goals even better.”

BASF’s Baxxodur portfolio is used by customers as highly efficient curing agents in epoxy and polyurea applications for the wind power, electrical, composites, adhesives and flooring industries. BASF offers a comprehensive portfolio of amine-based crosslinkers for these industries. With its performance spectrum, Baxxodur EC 151 ideally complements the product range. Baxxodur is a registered trademark of BASF SE.

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Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)