This new eco-friendly coating could make polyurethane foam, etc. flame retardant

Now, scientists have demonstrated a new coating designed to limit the flammability of wood used in construction, giving people more time to escape a fire and also hindering its spread

Home fires account for the majority of fire deaths and cause billions of dollars in property damage each year, according to the National Fire Protection Association .

This treatment, which can be deposited by dipping, spraying or pressure treatment, can make the home safer

The project's lead researcher, Dr.

Kolibaba conducted the research as a graduate student and postdoctoral researcher in Grunlan's lab, building on a polyelectrolyte coating technology envisioned by the team in 2009 and later refined by other scientists

Many of these coatings are made by soaking a material or something in a solution consisting of one polymer with a large positive charge, and then in another solution consisting of a polymer with a large negative charge , then repeat these steps to achieve the preferred thickness

The opposing charges attract the polyelectrolyte molecules in the alternating layers to form complexes on the surface of the article, creating a coating that can extinguish flames

Thomas Kolibaba would love to extend this treatment to wood, but a multi-step approach is out of the question for producers because wood takes a long time to absorb these chemicals

However, the second solution always became viscous, so the reconstituted process was still not suitable for consumer or industrial applications

In the latest change, Thomas Kolibaba has overcome this problem, saying the process will be easily adopted by consumers or industry
.

He soaked plywood in an aqueous solution consisting of the monomer hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate (HMP), the positively charged polymer polyethylene (PEI), and a photoinitiator called TPO
.

Instead of dipping the wood into the solution a second time to cure it, he exposed it to ultraviolet (UV) light for a few minutes
.
This allows TPO to turn HMP into a negatively charged polymer, which then forms a polyelectrolyte complex with PEI
.
The resulting coating was clear and only a few microns thick, so it didn't change the look of the wood, just added weight to it slightly
.

In laboratory flame tests, the treated wood reduced the amount of heat it gave off when burning and quickly formed a surface charcoal layer that protected the underlying wood -- properties that curb the spread and damage of fires and also reduced fire damage by 56 percent.
Smoke production, which is a very significant boost
.

In contrast to the team's previous coatings, which are held together by ionic bonds, this coating is covalently bonded
.
As such, Grunlan Labs speculates that it will be waterproof—and thus durable—perhaps antifungal and waterproof as well
.

Industrial users can use this coating on building materials such as dowels and other framing, or oriented strand board (an engineered wood similar to particle board)
.
Homeowners can use knapsack sprayers to protect current structures, such as barns or fences, that have been shown to spread wildfires, Thomas Kolibaba said
.

Other possible applications include polyurethane foams and textiles for household goods, apparel, and the aerospace and automotive sectors, Grunlan Labs said
.

Kolibaba added that UV-cured polyelectrolytes can also be used as a resin to make 3D printed parts, which are flammable when produced with conventional resins
.
This could be a major advantage in aerospace, such as the International Space Station, he observed
.