Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin have develop a young fire - retardent pith based on a natural chemical used by mussels . Flame retardants are a coating add together to manufactured material that can stop or check the spread of fire . They are used in the fabric , computer , and construction industry , but most traditional flame retardants are extremely toxic . This study , published inChemistry of Materials , is an important breakthrough in creating non - toxic flaming retardant material .
While the coating does n’t usually follow into contact with people , over time the flame retardant can degrade into evenly toxic chemicals that have the ability to propagate through product until they pollute somebody and the surroundings . In 2010 , a grouping of 145 prominent scientists from 22 countries signed the first everconsensusdocumenting the wellness hazards of fire retardation chemicals .
The new non - toxic fire retardation is base on dopamine , a compound present in fauna . In world , dopamine is a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances like epinephrin .
The celluloid substance they developed is call polydopamine , and its natural counterpart is used by mussels to get to surfaces . Even the non - stick Teflon is no match for polydopamine . The substance has been studied extensively for technological and health - related applications , but the UT Austin team were the first to inquire its flame - retardation prop . It come as a surprise to the squad that polydopamine is naturally flame retardant .
The researchers honour up to a 67 % reduction in peak heating plant waiver rate ( a cadence of fire intensity ) when a coating of polydopamine was applied to polyurethane foam , which is used , for example , in car seat and dashboards . This result is significant , as the estrus release rate is considered themost important variablein fire hazard .
The polydopamine compound ’s ability to reduce a fervour ’s intensity is around 20 % better than fire retardant currently in use . The coating absorb the molecules release by burning material , inhibiting flame from taking hold on the coated object .
“ We think polydopamine could cheaply and easily replace the flaming retardants found in many of the intersection that we apply every 24-hour interval , making these product secure for both child and adult , ” said Professor Christopher Ellison , who led the squad to this find , in astatement .
you may see the polydopamine being test in the cartridge clip below :
Top Imafe Credit : Zebra mussels,1082492116 / Shutterstock .
