Complementary techniques of thermal analysis as a tool for studying the properties and effectiveness of intumescent coatings deposited on wood

Čelan Korošin, Nataša (avtor), Cerc Korošec, Romana (avtor)

Fire-retardant intumescent coatings offer an effective means of enhancing the fire resistance of combustible substrates such as wood. These coatings have a complex chemical composition and, when exposed to temperatures above 200 °C, undergo an intumescent reaction accompanied by the release of non-flammable gases, forming an expanded, charred layer with low thermal conductivity. This provides thermal insulation and acts as a physical barrier against heat, oxygen, and flammable volatiles. In this study, the applicability of several thermoanalytical techniques for evaluating the performance of three different intumescent coatings applied to spruce wood was investigated. Simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that coating No. 3 was the most efficient, initiating substrate protection at the lowest temperature and reducing the combustion enthalpy by approximately 50% compared to uncoated wood. DSC-microscopy visualization enabled direct observation of the intumescent expansion, degradation of the carbonized protective layer, and delayed thermal decomposition of coated wood. Furthermore, a comparison between TGA-MS and TGA-IST16-GC-MS demonstrated the superiority of chromatographic separation for identifying evolved gaseous products. While TGA-MS is effective for detecting small gaseous species (e.g., H$_2$O, CO$_2$, formaldehyde), TGA-IST16-GC-MS enables the deconvolution of many degradation products evolving simultaneously, allowing for distinction between flame-retardant-related species, polymer backbone fragments, nitrogen-rich heterocycles, and small oxygenated molecules in the most effective coating.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: thermal stability, flammability, flame retardancy, intumescence coatings, wood protection, TGA-MS, TGA-IST16-GC-MS, DSC-microscopy
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FKKT - Fakulteta za kemijo in kemijsko tehnologijo
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: 14 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 18, iss. 2, art. 202
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178464
• UDK: 543.57
• ISSN pri članku: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym18020202
• COBISS.SI-ID: 264373251
• Datum objave v RUL: 28.01.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Polymers
• Skrajšan naslov: Polymers
• Založnik: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: toplotna stabilnost, vnetljivost, zaviranje gorenja, intumescenčni premazi, zaščita lesa, TGA-MS, TGA-IST16-GC-MS, DSC mikroskopija

Projekti

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P1-0134-2022
• Naslov: Kemija za trajnostni razvoj

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: I0-0022-2022
• Naslov: Mreža raziskovalnih infrastrukturnih centrov Univerze v Ljubljani (MRIC UL)