Hexion and Clariant Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance High-Performance Intumescent Coatings

Hexion Inc., a leader in specialty chemicals, has partnered with Clariant, a leading provider of intumescent additives, to create innovative intumescent coatings. This agreement combines Hexion's expertise in VeoVa vinyl ester-based binders with Clariant's intumescent additives to enhance fire protection systems in essential applications.

Intumescent coatings protect lives and property during fires by producing an insulating foam layer when exposed to heat. This layer helps to maintain the structural integrity of buildings, providing occupants with crucial time to evacuate safely.

"Our collaboration with Clariant signifies a significant milestone in advancing fire protection technology," said Jeroen Jansema, Vice President and General Manager of Versatics Acid and Derivatives business at Hexion. "By leveraging our VeoVa monomers and Clariant’s intumescent additives, we are optimizing vinyl-acetate based binders to enhance char formation and fire resistance, ensuring superior performance in critical situations."

Key highlights of the collaboration include:

• Enhanced Fire Performance: VeoVa vinyl ester-based binders outperform vinyl acetate/ethylene and acrylic-based solutions. Higher VeoVa vinyl ester content improves fire protection effectiveness, doubling protection duration over VeoVa vinyl ester-free alternatives.

• Innovative Thin Coating Applications: Hexion's novel technique enables thinner coating applications without sacrificing effectiveness, meeting a crucial market need for simplified fire prevention solutions.

• VeoVa Vinyl Ester-rich Blending Resin: The creation of a VeoVa vinyl ester -rich blending resin idea allows systems that do not include VeoVa vinyl ester to increase fire resistance performance and hydrophobicity, resulting in more versatile and efficient fire protection solutions.

Shared Commitment to Innovation & Safety

As Hexion and Clariant continue to push the boundaries of fire protection technology, they reaffirm their dedication to enhancing safety and resilience in the built environment.

"Our joint efforts with Clariant have yielded remarkable results, demonstrating the unparalleled combination of high-performance, aesthetics, and ease of application in our technology," added Jeroen Jansema.

"We are honored to collaborate with Hexion to advance the frontier of fire protection coatings," remarked Martin John, Global Vice President Segment Coatings & Adhesives at Clariant. "This partnership underscores our shared commitment to innovation and safety, empowering us to deliver groundbreaking solutions with our Exolit AP products to our customers. Our state-of-the-art fire testing facilities allow us to rigorously evaluate the fire safety performance of materials and formulations containing our Exolit flame retardants."

Source: Hexion