Dr Grunlan develops fire-resistant, eco-friendly coating
30 Apr '12
3 min read
"A lot of anti-flammables degrade fabric and foam properties," Grunlan says.
But with Grunlan's technique, each thread can be individually coated, in the case of cotton fabric. In fact, his coating could potentially strengthen fabric. The researchers are also looking at ways to make the coating softer and more durable to washing.
Current flame-retardant materials rely on brominated compounds, many of which have been banned due to concerns over their potential toxicity. The Texas A&M researchers were searching for an alternative to these toxic chemicals, and had previously been using a commonly known clay and a commercial synthetic polymer to make their coatings. But in order to make the coatings more sustainable, Grunlan switched to chitosan.
“Based on initial results,” he says, “I really think this is going to become a widely adopted, environmentally benign alternative to current flame retardant treatments.
"Anywhere you want to make fabric or foam anti-flammable, you can use this technology," he says.
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