What Does
Polyamide Epoxy Mean?
A polyamide epoxy is a polymer that employs a polyamide resin as a curing agent. A polyamide in an epoxy is essentially an organic compound very similar to ammonia, but has had one of its hydrogen atoms replaced with another atom. A polyamide epoxy is commonly used as a coating or an adhesive.
Corrosionpedia Explains Polyamide Epoxy
For a curing agent, a polyamide epoxy uses polyamide resins, which provide the polyamide epoxy with several advantages over other types of epoxies. One advantage is that it has excellent resistance to acid. It also holds up well in marine environments because of its water resistance. Polyamide epoxies generally also have the ability to stand up to outdoor environments more so than some other types of epoxies. They also have a relatively large amount of flexibility for applications where the base material may undergo small amounts of deformation.
Polyamide epoxies have disadvantages as well. They have a somewhat rapid dry time, reducing the time window to make adjustments to the coating. While they have a fast dry time, polyamide epoxies also have a long curing time, which can be undesirable if a fully cured coating is required in a short timeframe. Also, they do not resist chemicals as well as other types of epoxies.
Due to their high degree of water resistance, polyamide epoxies are excellent coating materials for environments where high amounts of moisture are present, such as offshore oil and gas equipment or water treatment plants. Their flexibility and good weathering characteristics make them an attractive option for coating bridges.