Researchers from the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Texas A&M University, have developed carbon nanofiber-filled coatings that outperform conventional flame retardants used in the polyurethane foam (PUF) of upholstered furniture and mattresses by at least 160 percent, and perhaps by as much as 1,130 percent. These findings suggest that significant fire-safety advantages can be gained by coating polyurethane foam with carbon nanofibers and polymers. Residential fires caused by the ignition of soft furnishings account for about five percent of all fires, but such fires are responsible for one-third of fire-caused deaths of civilians and 11 percent of property losses due to fires in homes. NIST researcher Rick Davis says the new approach should be attractive to PUF manufacturers because the coating can deliver a low flammability PUF without major change to the foam manufacturing process. Tests showed that the coating significantly outperforms three classes of commercially available flame retardants, and also “prevents the formation of a melt pool of burning foam, which in a real fire scenario, may further reduce the resulting fire threat of burning soft furnishings,” said the authors.
http://www.nist.gov/el/fire_research/201108_nano_fire_retardants.cfm