Home structure fires account for the vast majority of fire deaths and lead to billions of dollars in property damage every year. Wood is a key constituent in home construction, but lacks rigid fire standards. Intumescent polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) nanocoatings have yielded remarkable fire protection on other cellulosic materials, such as textiles, but the processing demands of these techniques limit their practical application in highly porous materials such as wood, where slow diffusion limits the rate of coating deposition. In this work, a novel method of depositing PECs is employed. A cationic polymer and anionic monomer are deposited onto plywood with a photoinitiator, and the PEC is formed by subsequent irradiation of the wood surface with ultraviolet light. This photopolymer coating imparts significant fire resistance with minimal added weight. Additionally, this treatment preserves the mechanical strength of wood at elevated temperatures. The utility of this new type of PEC treatment holds significant promise to make home construction much safer.

Polyelectrolyte photopolymer complexes for flame retardant wood

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.