Researchers at Stanford have unveiled a pioneering gel that transforms into an aerogel under intense heat, providing lasting protection for buildings during wildfires. This new technology promises to significantly reduce damage caused by increasingly frequent and severe wildfires.
In an era marked by increasingly devastating wildfires, researchers at Stanford University have introduced a groundbreaking, long-lasting gel that could become a crucial tool in protecting buildings and critical infrastructure. This innovative gel has the potential to revolutionize how we defend against the growing threat posed by wildfires, which have been exacerbated by climate change.
Published in the journal Advanced Materials, the research highlights a significant advancement over existing commercial gels. The new water-enhancing gel, developed by Eric Appel and his team, retains its protective properties far longer under extreme conditions than current alternatives.
“Under typical wildfire conditions, current water-enhancing gels dry out in 45 minutes,” said Appel, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford’s School of Engineering and the study’s senior author, said in a news release. “We’ve developed a gel that would have a broader application window – you can spray it further in advance of the fire and still get the benefit of the protection – and it will work better when the fire comes.”
The new gel offers a dual-layer shield against wildfires, combining a cellulose-based polymer with silica particles that transition into an aerogel when exposed to high heat. This process creates a robust, insulating foam that can scatter heat and protect underlying structures.
“We have discovered a unique phenomenon where a soft, squishy hydrogel seamlessly transitions into a robust aerogel shield under heat, offering enhanced and long-lasting wildfire protection. This environmentally conscious breakthrough surpasses current commercial solutions, offering a superior and scalable defense against wildfires,” Changxin “Lyla” Dong, a graduate student and the study’s lead author, said in the news release.
The researchers’ tests demonstrated that their most effective gel formulation could withstand direct flames from a gas hand-torch, which burns hotter than typical wildfire flames, for over seven minutes. In stark contrast, existing commercial gels failed within 90 seconds.
Appel and his colleagues’ journey to this discovery began with an exploration of gels designed to hold fire retardants on vegetation. An accidental test revealed the gel’s impressive potential against direct flames.
“We’ve been working with this platform for years now,” Appel added. “This new development was somewhat serendipitous – we were wondering how these gels would behave on their own, so we just smushed some on a piece of wood and exposed it to flames from a torch we had laying around the lab. What we observed was this super cool outcome where the gels puffed up into an aerogel foam.”
After years of optimization, the Stanford team has developed a formulation stable in storage, easily sprayable with standard equipment and adherent to various surfaces — all while being made of nontoxic components approved by the U.S. Forest Service.
Appel emphasizes the gel’s safety for both people and the environment, with studies showing that components are easily broken down by soil microbes.
Looking ahead, the researchers hope to conduct pilot-scale applications to protect critical infrastructure when wildfires strike.
“There may need to be additional optimization, but my hope is that we can do pilot-scale application and evaluation of these gels so we can use them to help protect critical infrastructure when a fire comes through,” Appel added.
As wildfires continue to pose severe risks, innovations like this gel could become essential in safeguarding lives, homes and ecosystems.