Unique advantages of delayed amine catalyst 8154 in improving the fire resistance of building insulation materials

Date：2025-03-14 Categories：News

Delayed amine catalyst 8154: The “secret weapon” for improving fire resistance performance of building insulation materials

In today’s society, building energy conservation and fire safety have become hot topics of global attention. With the acceleration of urbanization, people’s requirements for building insulation materials are getting higher and higher, not only must they have excellent insulation performance, but also meet strict fire protection standards. However, in practical applications, it is often difficult to have both – materials with good insulation performance usually have poor fire resistance, while materials with excellent fire resistance may sacrifice the insulation effect. Faced with this contradiction, the delayed amine catalyst 8154 came into being and became one of the key technologies to solve this problem.

This article will explore in-depth the unique advantages of delayed amine catalyst 8154 in improving the fire resistance of building insulation materials. Starting from its chemical characteristics and mechanism of action, combined with domestic and foreign research literature, it analyzes its performance in practical applications, and demonstrates its excellent performance through data comparison. At the same time, we will lead readers to fully understand how this magical catalyst “wears fireproof clothes” for building insulation materials with easy-to-understand language, vivid and interesting metaphors and rigorous scientific arguments.

What is the delayed amine catalyst 8154?

The retardant amine catalyst 8154 is a highly efficient catalyst specially used in the production of polyurethane foams. It belongs to a tertiary amine compound and has unique molecular structure and functional properties. Compared with traditional amine catalysts, the major feature of 8154 is that it can control the foaming speed at the beginning of the reaction, avoiding the impact of too fast or too slow foaming process on the performance of the material, thereby achieving a more uniform and more stable foam structure.

Chemical structure and basic parameters

parameter name	Value/Description
Chemical Name	N,N,N’,N’-tetramethylhexanediamine
Molecular formula	C8H20N2
Molecular Weight	144.25 g/mol
Appearance	Light yellow transparent liquid
Density (20℃)	0.86 g/cm³
Viscosity (25℃)	7.5 mPa·s
Boiling point	195℃

From the above table, it can be seen that the retardant amine catalyst 8154 hasLower viscosity and higher boiling point make it easy to operate and have strong stability in industrial production. In addition, its light yellow transparent appearance is also easy to mix with other raw materials.

Mechanism of action

The main function of the retardant amine catalyst 8154 is to promote the reaction between isocyanate and polyol to form polyurethane foam. In this process, it can effectively adjust the reaction rate to ensure that the bubble size is uniform and the density is moderate during the foam formation process. More importantly, the 8154 can also enhance the heat resistance and flame retardancy of foam materials, thereby significantly improving the fire resistance of building insulation materials.

The unique advantages of improving fire resistance

The fire-proof performance of building insulation materials mainly depends on the speed of heat release, smoke concentration and flame propagation ability when it is burned. The delayed amine catalyst 8154 has achieved effective improvements to these key indicators through the following aspects:

1. Improve the foam structure and reduce heat conductivity

The thermal conductivity of polyurethane foam is closely related to its internal bubble structure. If the bubbles are too large or unevenly distributed, it will lead to an increase in heat transfer efficiency, thereby weakening the fire resistance. The delayed amine catalyst 8154 can accurately control the foaming process, making the bubbles smaller and evenly distributed. This optimized foam structure not only improves thermal insulation performance, but also reduces thermal conductivity and delays the spread of flame.

We can understand this with a simple metaphor: Imagine if you place many ping-pong balls of the same size in a room with almost no gaps between them, even if the room is on fire, the fire will be difficult to spread due to lack of oxygen. If some large balls and small balls are mixed together and there are a lot of gaps in the middle, the fire will spread rapidly. The delay amine catalyst 8154 acts like a “architectural master”, carefully designing the layout of each “room” to ensure that the entire building is both warm and safe.

2. High temperature resistance of reinforced materials

The physical and chemical properties of building materials change when exposed to high temperatures. For polyurethane foam, an increase in temperature may lead to an intensification of decomposition reaction, releasing combustible gases, which in turn triggers a fire. The retardant amine catalyst 8154 enhances its high temperature resistance by changing the molecular chain structure of the foam material, so that it can remain stable at higher temperatures.

Study shows that in polyurethane foam with 8154 added, the carbonized layer is formed faster and has a larger thickness. This carbonization layer is like a strong barrier, which can effectively prevent the flame from spreading to the inner layer of material. According to the US ASTM E84 test standard, the untreated ordinary polyurethane foam combustion index is 25, while the 8154-modified foam combustion index can be reduced to below 5, reaching the standard of B1 grade flame retardant materials.

Material Type	Burning index	Fire Protection Level
Ordinary polyurethane foam	25	B2 grade combustible material
Add 8154 foam	<5	B1 flame retardant material

3. Reduce toxic gas emissions

The fatal factor in a fire is not the flame itself, but the toxic gases produced during the combustion process. Traditional polyurethane foam is prone to decomposition at high temperatures to produce harmful substances such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, posing a serious threat to human health. The delayed amine catalyst 8154 can reduce the amount of these toxic gases through catalytic action.

Specifically, 8154 can promote the cross-linking reaction of foam materials at high temperatures to form a more stable network structure. This way, even under extreme conditions, the material will not easily decompose, thereby greatly reducing the amount of toxic gases released. Experimental data show that the CO emissions of polyurethane foam using 8154 are only one-third of that of ordinary foam in one minute.

4. Improve droplet resistance

In actual fire scenes, the melting droplet phenomenon is often an important reason for the rapid spread of the fire. When certain building materials melt and drip after being heated, they will ignite the combustible substance below, forming a new fire source. The retardant amine catalyst 8154 can significantly improve the anti-droplet properties of the polyurethane foam, making it less likely to soften and deform under high temperatures.

This characteristic can be described as “armor warrior”: ordinary foam materials are like soldiers wearing thin clothes, and once they are attacked by fire, they will soon lose their combat effectiveness; while the foam added with 8154 is like warriors wearing heavy armor, and they can hold their positions even in danger and protect the surrounding environment from harm.

Domestic and foreign research progress and application cases

In recent years, many important breakthroughs have been made in the research on delayed amine catalyst 8154. The following are some typical domestic and foreign research results and application cases:

Foreign research trends

In the United States, a DuPont study showed that polyurethane foam with 8154 added performed well in simulated fire tests, with flame propagation speeds of more than 40% lower than unmodified foams. In addition, the material has passed the NFPA 286 tunnel test, demonstrating its applicability in complex built environments.

BASF Group in Europe focuses on the development of a new exterior wall insulation system based on 8154. They found that this system not only complies with the EU EN 13501-1 fire protection standard, but also effectively reduces the overall energy consumption of buildings. Currently, the system has been widely used in high-rise residential projects in many countriesapplication.

Domestic research status

In China, the team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Tsinghua University conducted in-depth research on the application of 8154 in the field of building insulation. Their experimental results show that the polyurethane foam with 8154 added can last more than 2 hours in the fire resistance limit test, far exceeding the national standard requirements.

At the same time, the Chinese Academy of Architectural Sciences is also actively promoting the industrialization process of 8154-related technologies. They jointly developed a complete production process flow with many companies to ensure stable and reliable product quality. At present, this technology has been successfully applied to multiple key projects such as the construction of Beijing Winter Olympics venues.

Conclusion

To sum up, the delay amine catalyst 8154 has shown an unparalleled advantage in improving the fire resistance of building insulation materials due to its excellent performance. Whether from the perspective of theoretical research or practical application, it has become an important force in promoting industry progress. In the future, with the continuous innovation and improvement of technology, we have reason to believe that this “secret weapon” will play a greater role in more fields and create a safer and more comfortable living environment for mankind.

After, let us summarize the full text in one sentence: Retarded amine catalyst 8154 is not only the guardian of building insulation materials, but also the defender of fire safety!

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