According to Associate Professor Aravind Dasari from the NTU School of Materials Science and Engineering, a thickness of about 75 microns – the thickness of a sheet of paper – of the coating, when heated to 300 degrees Celsius, the resin coating expands by up to 100 times in thickness, and it is this expansion that insulates and protects the wood from heat.

The associate professor said that currently most timber or wooden panels only have a transparent coat that protects them from moisture, weather corrosion, termites or pests, and are not designed to withstand high heat. In particular, current methods of making timber and other wood surfaces more fire-resistant typically obscure the natural appearance of the wood, or other methods, such as fire-retardant panels or paint, are costly and can release toxic gases when burnt.

Kevin Hill, chief executive officer of construction design firm Venturer Timberwork, says the ability of NTU coatings to prevent fire damage will allow more buildings to use wood as a structural element, a step important in the fight against climate change.

According to straitstimes.com