Tom Li is a Bay Area News Group regional news reporting intern for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Raised in Pleasanton, Tom is currently a student at Brown University studying economics and international and public affairs.
During a test on plywood, researchers showed how the new gel transitions from a hydrogel to an aerogel under heat from a gas hand-torch. The torch burned at a much higher temperature than would result from a wildfire. Imagine this: Under an orange ash-filled sky, intensely hot wildfire flames engulf a freshly evacuated wooden farmhouse. The inferno swallows trees, bushes and wildlife, spreading quickly across the horizon.
Typical fire retardants contain water, salts and other chemical polymers. According to Jurasek, wildfire heat kicks off a chain of chemical reactions in the retardant that hold off the flames. He added that the retardant remains somewhat effective even when the water fully evaporates. “The real scenario for a commercial water-enhancing gel is when the wildfire approaches, you spray them on the house,” Dong explained. “When the wildfire crosses that structure, it can leave the house intact.”
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