Superior durability and chemical resistance with new Ancamine® 2849 and 2859

Ancamine® 2280 has been a popular choice for these applications for many years, thanks to its excellent chemical resistance and low susceptibility to amine blush at room temperature. However, when coatings need to be applied at lower temperatures down to 5°C, the reduced cure speed and potential for amine blush limit its usability in these conditions. Additionally, Ancamine® 2280 contains small amounts of salicylic acid which has recently been reclassified as reprotoxic. 

To address the challenges of low-temperature curing, Evonik has developed Ancamine® 2859. This innovative epoxy curing agent does not contain salicylic acid and boasts a more future-proof EHS-friendly labeling. Ancamine® 2859 not only offers faster cure speeds but also delivers excellent surface appearance and carbamation resistance at 5°C. It retains the overall chemical resistance of Ancamine® 2280 while significantly improving resistance to mineral acids and boiling water. 

Ancamine® 2859 is an amber liquid with a maximum Gardener color of 13 and a medium viscosity of 1000 mPa.s comparable to Ancamine® 2280.  The recommended usage level when combined with a standard liquid epoxy resin (LER) has been reduced from 58 to 42, resulting in lower costs. Additionally, handling and application are made easier with an extended pot life of 60 minutes at room temperature compared to 40 minutes for Ancamine® 2280. Despite the longer gel times, Ancamine® 2859 demonstrates fast curing at both ambient and lower temperatures as demonstrated by thin film set time (TFST) measurements. At 23°C, the typical TFST (phase 3) of Ancamine® 2280 combined with standard LER is nearly halved, decreasing from 9 hours to just 5 hours. Similarly, curing is accelerated by more than one third at 5°C from 21 hours to 13 hours. Notably, the carbamation resistance of Ancamine® 2859 has improved, achieving a rating of 3 to 5 on a scale from 1 to5, where a rating of 5 indicates that the film surface shows no defects or discoloration in the water spot test.

Immersion tests reveal that the chemical resistance of Ancamine® 2859, particularly against concentrated mineral acids, bases and most organic solvents is on a par with that of coatings based on Ancamine® 2280. In fact, its resistance to hot boiling water surpasses that of leading chemical resistant hardeners like Ancamine® 2432. Furthermore, Ancamine® 2859 exhibits good compatibility with other technologies.

Overall, this new development provides excellent property development and performance under challenging conditions, such as low temperatures and high humidity while achieving a favorable balance between cure speed and pot life. High chemical resistance and corrosion resistance makes it an ideal choice for applications in tank lining, general protective coatings, and industrial flooring. More information on the relative performance and positioning compared to the top-performing Ancamine® 2432 can be found in the spider diagram below.

Additionally, we are introducing Ancamine® 2849, a new epoxy curing agent specifically designed for ultra-high chemical resistance applications. We recommend using it in combination with bisphenol F and epoxy novolac resins to achieve outstanding resistance against concentrated sulfuric acid at elevated temperatures and crude oil. Ancamine® 2849 is a light amber liquid with a maximum Gardener color of 8 and a slight elevated medium viscosity of 3700 mPa.s. The recommended usage level when combined with a standard liquid epoxy resin (LER) is 45, which also contributes to lower costs. While it has a slightly shorter pot life of 37 minutes compared to Ancamine 2859, it offers a similar thin film set time (TFST) in phase 3 of approximately 5 hours. Further details can be found in the respective technical data sheets.