Fire-Proof Coatings

No matter what we throw at fire detection, from drones to prediction models and watch towers, predicting when and where blazes will start and travel remains challenging. And not all fires are created equal. What if we could stop them at the source?

Nearly 20 percent of home fire deaths between 2006 and 2010 occurred in fires where upholstered furniture was the first item to ignite. With that in mind, scientists have used carbon nanotubes to create a coating for furniture foam, that reduces its flammability by 35 percent.