Polyurea is a kind of elastic polymer which is derived directly from the natural reaction process of a synthetic resins component and an isocyanic acid component during step growth polymerization. The polyurea can be aliphatic or aromatic in nature. The main components of polyurea are usually water, silicone (sodium or potassium) and cetyl polyurethane (which is often marketed under names like ‘crosspolyurethane’, ‘crosspolyurethane foam’, ‘hot polyurethane’ and ‘cool polyurethane’). These polyurethane components are also available as powders, liquids, gels and foams.
Polyurea is used for various manufacturing applications. As far as physical properties of polyurea are concerned, the most common polyurethane polymers are seen to be those polyurethane resins, polyurethane parts, polyurethane coatings, polyurethane fluids, polyurethane dry forms and polyurethane foams. All these products exhibit high hardness and high stretchability characteristics. This quality coupled with the fact that polyurethane products have high moisture resistance property gives polyurethane parts and polyurethane coatings an ability to resist wear and tear, thus making them highly useful for various manufacturing applications. Also the chemical resistance characteristic of polyurethane makes it useful for resisting chemicals like acids, alkalis, solvents, UV rays, ozone, petroleum derivatives, bromine and hydrocarbons.
Although polyurea is widely used for a wide variety of applications but some important physical properties of this material need to be understood before polyurea is used for any application. First of all let’s discuss about the physical properties of urethane foam. Urethane (also termed as waffle) is the general term used for polyurethane foam. It is generally made up of various components like oils, resins, sugars and fillers. When urethane foam is exposed to sunlight exposure it gets yellowish in color and starts becoming water soluble. As a result of this property urethane foam can be easily absorbed into its substrate materials.
The elongation and thickness of polyurea material is measured by tensile strength, which can determine the hardness and softness (or durability) of a coating. When polyurea coating is applied to a non-magnetic metal it enhances the magnetic properties of the metal thereby improving the resistance to electromagnetic field impact. Moreover polyurea can also enhance the mechanical properties of an alloy. In addition to these properties polyurea has good thermal conductivity, and water resistance, which make it highly suitable for various industries requiring protection from heat.
Another important factor that makes polyurea a preferred choice for floor coating is its excellent fire retardant properties. Polyurea does not catch fire as fast as conventional marble and granite and hence it presents a much safer surface for your floor. Also since polyurea does not absorb moisture rapidly it does not encourage the growth of mold or fungus on your concrete floor. Moreover it does not give the look of a deteriorating concrete structure and thus it can be easily installed over existing concrete floors.
Last but not least polyurea market is occupied by those products that do not need any additives to achieve the viscosity desired. This category includes acrylic coatings and low viscosity foams. Acrylic coatings do not require any additives and low viscosity liquids are available at low temperatures with high solvents. These liquids can be sprayed directly on concrete surface without any additional preparation. Moreover they can be used on any concrete surface since they have very high solvents.
