Inspired by a naturally occurring material found in marine mussels, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new flame retardant to replace toxic commercial additives. The engineers' use of synthetic polydopamaine could prove valuable for a number of health-related applications, including cancer drug delivery and implantable biomedical devices.
A team led by Cockrell School of Engineering associate professor Christopher Ellison found that a synthetic coating of polydopamine — derived from the natural compound dopamine — works as a highly effective, water-applied flame retardant for polyurethane foam.
“Since polydopamine is natural and already present in animals, this question of toxicity immediately goes away,” Ellison said.
Ellison and his team were drawn to polydopamine because of its ability to adhere to surfaces, as demonstrated by marine mussels who use the compound to stick to virtually any surface, including Teflon.
Using far less polydopamine by weight than typical of conventional flame retardant additives, the UT Austin engineers learned that the polydopamine coating on foams leads to a 67 percent reduction in peak heat release rate, a measure of fire intensity and imminent danger to building occupants or firefighters. The polydopamine flame retardant’s ability to reduce the fire’s intensity is about 20 percent better than existing flame retardants commonly used today.
