Frontiers in Fire Protective Coatings

An introduction to the cellulosic fire protection market reviewing current and future market trends and developments, legal and project legislations and regulations and how the use of innovative software solutions contribute to the golden thread philosophy.

To ensure adequate fire resistance of steel structures, appropriate thermal protection is essential. Intumescent coatings are commonly used to slow down the heating and to delay the corresponding temperature-induced strength loss of the structural steel member in case of fire. However, environmental conditions and the related ageing effects may reduce the thermal protective performance of the intumescent coating during the working life. BAM has developed a minimally invasive in situ testing method to assess the actual thermal protection aged intumescent coating and corresponding fire resistance of existing coated steel member. The presentation will present the development of a mobile prototype furnace and the experimental validation of the in situ test method. The conducted fire Tests include uncoated and coated steel plates and steel profiles. In addition to the fire testing in laboratory also a case study of an existing steel structure with aged intumescent coating is included.

Wood as building material is of high interest due to its sustainable origin. In addition, a warm and homelike atmosphere is created if the natural appearance of wood is visible and not hidden by paints or plasters. However, fire-retardants often confer opacity or even non-transparency to coating films. In addition, most flame-retardant agents are based on fossil raw materials. In this study, wood coatings were developed with a polymeric binder and flame retardants which were both based on a high amount of renewable resources. It was shown that good transparency in combination with fire protective properties was achieved.

Wood continues to gain traction in European architecture due to its renewability, carbon storage capacity and contribution to sustainable building strategies. Political frameworks and industry initiatives are accelerating its role in achieving decarbonization targets. Yet, as an organic material, wood remains highly combustible, creating challenges for safe use in modern design. Intumescent coatings play a key role in addressing these challenges, offering solutions that combine fire protection with design freedom. While transparent systems enable architects to preserve the natural look of wood, pigmented coatings are essential for delivering robust performance and design versatility in colored finishes. Achieving these goals requires careful formulation to balance fire resistance, durability, and weathering stability. This presentation will outline our comprehensive portfolio of halogen-free, phosphorus-based FR CROS® flame retardants that support low-carbon building practices and help coating manufacturers meet European fire safety standards without compromising aesthetics.

The evolving regulatory classification of melamine as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) is driving the construction industry to seek alternatives in fire protective coatings. This presentation examines melamine’s current role in intumescent coating (IC) formulations and reviews existing alternatives with their respective limitations.

We introduce Clariant’s novel blowing agents specifically designed for melamine-free formulations and present comprehensive performance data across multiple coating systems.

Full-scale fire resistance tests of intumescent coatings for structural steel are costly and time consuming. When developing new coating formulations, it is therefore valuable to have access to fast and reliable lab-scale screening methods. In this talk, methodologies that can be used to predict the full-scale test performance of intumescent coatings will be presented and discussed.

First, an overview of the performance of commercially available intumescent coatings will be discussed based on a comprehensive dataset of full-scale test results. Next, a laboratory-scale screening approach will be presented. The method involves exposing coated steel panels in a laboratory-scale furnace, followed by data processing using a simple heat transfer model. The feasibility of the methodology was evaluated by testing more than 50 samples, consisting of 11 commercial intumescent coating products from six manufacturers. The predicted performance was compared to the certified fire resistance of the products. The advantages and the limitations of the methodology will be discussed, along with strategies for adapting predictions to different steel section geometries.

This session invites all participants to explore…:

A) … innovative approaches to fire protective coatings. Your team will work collaboratively to design a formulation suitable for steel structures while considering durability, sustainability, regulatory expectations, and behaviour during real fire exposure. The activity reflects real formulation challenges and encourages open discussion and creative thinking.

B) … advanced protective solutions for modern timber and hybrid buildings. Your team will work collaboratively to design a formulation that protects visible wood surfaces while preserving appearance. You are encouraged to consider sustainability, bio-based options, durability during weathering, and regulatory expectations. The exercise is designed to stimulate exchange, creativity, and strategic formulation thinking.

All participants will be able to attend both workshops.

Quartzene® is an aerogel-like, porous, amorphous silica material. The aerogel-like product is produced in a completely waterborne process that differs from other traditional ways of manufacturing aerogels. The aerogel with its porous structure contributes to excellent thermal insulation, improved fire behavior and lightweight properties and can increase the fire-resistance of coatings as well as boost performance in intumescent paint systems.

Epoxy and acrylate thermosets are indispensable to modern coating technologies, yet they face growing demands for improved fire safety, sustainability, and safer chemical profiles. This presentation introduces a phosphorus-based network engineering platform that delivers intrinsic flame retardancy together with controlled thermomechanical reprocessability in both epoxy and acrylate systems. We first discuss the molecular design principles and reaction chemistry used to integrate phosphorus-containing dynamic covalent motifs directly into the polymer backbone. The influence of network architecture on thermal behavior, viscoelasticity, and mechanical durability is then examined in detail. Fire performance is assessed via LOI, UL-94, and cone calorimetry, demonstrating enhanced char formation and suppressed heat release. In parallel, we introduce ongoing toxicity and leaching assessments, including initial screening of extractables and biological response tests, as part of a Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design framework. Crucially, the materials maintain performance over multiple reprocessing cycles, enabling closed-loop material use. The talk concludes with implications for scalable production and future deployment in fire-protective coatings and composite systems.