Researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed an invisible coating that fireproofs wood for the construction industry while also maintaining wood’s natural aesthetic.

When introduced to a flame in the lab, the invisible coating, which is just 0.075 mm thick, undergoes a chemical reaction wherein the coating becomes charred — or burned on the outside.

Source: NTU Singapore

This, according to researchers, causes the coating to become a char that expands to more than 30 times its original thickness and thus prohibits the wood underneath the coating from combusting.

"In our coating, we used technology to lock certain compounds and interact with the resin. They will actively participate in the chemical reactions in a systematic manner when exposed to high heat, thus leading to the formation of char. This char was engineered to be extremely heat-resistant, insulating the wood underneath from the high heat," the researchers explained.

In the lab, when the char was scraped off, the researchers revealed that the wood underneath was still intact.

For more information om the coating, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of NTU Singapore.