New firefighting foam created
11 Jan 2016 by Evoluted New Media
Ceramic firefighting foam that can handles temperatures of more than 1000°C has been created by Russian scientists.
Ceramic firefighting foam that can handles temperatures of more than 1000°C has been created by Russian scientists.
The foam, based on inorganic silica nanoparticles, beats similar substances on its ability to extinguish fires, it’s stability to heat and structurally - and its effect on the environment.
Alexander Vinogradov, deputy head of the International Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Technologies (SCAMT) said: “Our foam is based on silica nanoparticles, which create a polymer network when exposed to air.
“Such a network embraces and adheres to the burning object and momentarily cools it down. At the same time, the foam itself hardens. The inorganic origin of this polymer network allows it to resist temperatures above 1000°C, which ensures gigantic stability from the aggressive environment in the midst of a raging fire."
Currently, large scale firefighting involves using prefluorinated substances that are extremely toxic to organisms, often taking more than 200 years to biodegrade, claim the scientists. The foam has been awarded full biodegradability and after putting out fires, absorbs water, before softening and falling apart into bioinert silica particles.
Vinogradov added: “Most existing foams are made of organic materials and quickly deteriorate when temperatures approach 300°C. In our case, the foam creates a hard frame that not only puts out the fire, but also protects the object from re-ignition. With ordinary foams, re-ignition occurs within seconds after flame is applied to the object again.”
The scientists carried out a series of large scale experiments, even imitating an actual forest fire. A flame retardant belt was made from the foam and was shown to localize the forest fire and could also stay active during the whole fire season.
Gennady Kuprin, head of SOPOT (a research company) said: “The flame retardant belt made of our foam will prevent the spread of any forest fire, regardless of its strength and level of complexity.”
The study was published in ACS Advanced Materials and Interfaces.
