Fire retardant gel

[6][7] The practical use of gels was limited until the 1950s as advances in copolymerization techniques led to reproducible, batchwise preparation of swellable resins with uniform cross-linking.

[8] This technology was later used in the development of a "substantially continuous, adherent, particulate coating composition of water-swollen, gelled particles of a crosslinked, water-insoluble, water-swellable polymer.

As the gel and water are sprayed onto an exposed surface, millions of tiny "bubblets" are stacked one on top of another.

In order for the heat of the fire to penetrate the protected surface, it must burn off each layer of the gel "bubblets" coating.

Therefore, water-filled bubblets will absorb more heat than the air-filled foam bubbles (which are more effective for vapor suppression).

[12] During a fire in the Black Hills National Forest, "nearly all homes coated with a slimy gel were saved while dozens of houses nearby burned to the ground.

"[13] Certain supplemental fire protection insurance may include the application of fire-retardant gel to homes during wildfire.