Catastrophic residential fires and wildfires have a significant impact in terms of fatalities, injuries, loss of property, and air pollution. Flame retardants play important roles in fire protection by helping to prevent or slow the spread of fire. Currently, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are the most abundantly used flame retardants. However, there are increasing concerns about their toxicity to humans and persistence in the environment.
To find an eco-friendly alternative to those toxic chemicals, the technology owner has developed a non-toxic flame-retardant nanocoating using bio-based and renewable raw materials such as chitosan and clay nanoplatelets. This water-based coating can potentially be applied to any flammable polymeric material, such as wood, foams and fabrics, providing effective fire protection for a wide range of applications.
The technology is available for IP licencing and R&D collaboration with industry partners who are interested in adopting flame-retardant coatings in their products and applications.
The technology is a water-based nanocoating comprising of chitosan and clay nanoplatelets. The synergy between these two materials gives the structure its fire-retardant property. In addition to layer-by-layer deposition, the technology can also be applied by polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) coating.
The key features of this technology are:
The eco-friendly flame-retardant coating can be applied to various flammable materials that are widely used in building and construction, aerospace, automotive, marine, and military applications. The potential applications include but are not limited to:
The technology offers the following unique features:
The technology is available for IP licencing and R&D collaboration with industry partners who are interested in adopting flame-retardant coatings in their products and applications.