Tough new fire-resistant coating materials that can be used as a render or on structural steel are being developed by CSIRO researchers in Melbourne.
The hybrid inorganic polymer system (HIPS) coatings can withstand temperatures of over 1000°C, where current commercial coatings used on building materials and structures break down at 150-250°C.
The clever coatings contain an inorganic geopolymer resin, and a small component of polymer additives.
Project leader, Dr Damian Fullston of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, says the research body is seeking to partner with coatings manufacturers in order to customise HIPS to meet product specifications for selected applications.
“They are not only fire-, blast- and acid-resistant, they are also strong, castable, sprayable, and extrudable, making their potential uses almost limitless,” he said.
“Geopolymers are an emerging class of ceramic-like inorganic polymers produced at room temperatures that have the potential to transform the building products industry,” Fullston says.
The new coating has the potential to form thin fireproof coatings on timbers such as weatherboards, and on metals such as structural or galvanised steel. It can also protect brickwork, either as a thin coating or as a render. HIPS can be applied by spray equipment, roller or brush, and cures from ambient temperature to below 90°C.
