The use of wood is making a comeback as a sustainable material, and is increasingly being used in building construction. Every day there are more architects committed to sustainability in construction that use it as a substitute for iron and cement.
But wood has a serious drawback, and it is its flammability; because a building that is safe should not be able to burn. And in this aspect, some researchers from the University of Singapore have made a very interesting development.
They have developed a transparent coating that, when applied to wood, makes it non-combustible. If a flame is applied to wood treated with the coating, it chars the surface, but does not burn. And that kind of superficial carbon protects the wood without burning.
A video can be seen at: https://youtu.be/OxWzU_rUigU
After the action of the external fire has passed, the char can be removed with a spatula, and the wood appears in perfect condition without having burned.
According to the researchers, this coating is cheap and easy to apply, so it could be used in many applications. But they have not yet indicated how this coating behaves over time and in contact with environmental agents.
As in these cases, they have to continue working so that they can specify how the coating behaves in all working conditions: temperature, humidity, evolution over time, etc….
But there is no doubt that it is very good information so that the use of wood in construction can be extended, and see how to replace other more polluting current elements, such as cement and iron.
Time will tell.
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