Researchers in Australia Develop Lava-Inspired Fire Protection
SPRINGFIELD, Australia – A research team, led by University of Southern Queensland Chemical Engineer and Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Professor Pingan Song, has developed a non-toxic, fire extinguishing coating that could save buildings from being engulfed in flames. Song said lava sparked his idea of a hybrid coating that would melt and then gradually form a flowing but non-combustible ceramic layer when exposed to extreme heat.
“Molton lava is like a viscous flowing liquid but non-flammable,” Song said. “Once cooled, it solidifies to become a ceramic layer that does not support fire. Inspired by this interesting phenomenon, we designed a fire retardant coating that can create a non-combustible ceramic layer which can offer fire protections for the underlying substrates, just like a fire shield.”