RUSSIA — A new ceramic firefighting foam that can handle temperatures of more than 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit has been created by Russian scientists.
According to LabNews.co.uk, the inventor claims the foam beats similar substances on its ability to extinguish fires.
“Our foam is based on silica nanoparticles, which create a polymer network when exposed to air,” Alexander Vinogradov, deputy head of the International Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Technologies, said. “Such a network embraces and adheres to the burning object and momentarily cools it down. At the same time, the foam itself hardens.”
The foam also fully biodegrades and absorbs water before softening and falling apart.
“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,” Vinogradov said.
You can read the full published study here.