A serendipitous discovery at Stanford revealed the properties of a material that changes form when exposed to flame. The finding holds promise for a spray coating that could protect homes from fire over four times as long as current solutions.

The researchers also say that current fire-resisting gels dry out and become useless about 45 minutes after being applied. With their new material however, because the silica aerogel stays behind until it is washed away, the coating could be applied well in advance of an approaching wildfire while still providing protection when the flames arrive

  • @GrimyEnglish
    34•20 days ago

    Appel also points out that his gels are environmentally friendly, and composed only of materials that are already approved for use by the US Forestry Service. When eventually washed off, the aerogel is handily broken down by soil microbes.

    What a neat discovery. It’s something you can potentially spray on things to protect them and it just washes. I’m guessing it’s harder to manage once it gets cooked so to speak.

    • PunkieEnglish
      21•20 days ago

      When eventually washed off, the aerogel is handily broken down by soil microbes.

      I am not going to claim to be an expert on any of this BUT that wording sounds suspiciously like bullshit. Maybe it’s not, but it’s one of those phrases that sounds like when vitamin companies claim that more B12 has shown to fix whatever ails you. Or “our plastic is environmentally friendly: 100% recyclable, and breaks down into teeny micro-particles over time, and gets absorbed by the sea life like ordinary sand…”

      • Skua
        8•20 days ago

        I am also definitely not coming into this with any expertise, but reading the linked paper about it looks at least somewhat promising to me. The ingredients are silica (sand) and a couple of cellulose derivatives (cellulose being what plants are mostly made of)

        • @[email protected]English
          5•20 days ago

          Yes exactly:

          the cellulose polymers in these systems are plant-derived, biocompatible, and biodegradable