NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.

Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

PUBLICATIONS

Impact of Carbon Nanofiber Layer-By-Layer Coatings on Polyurethane Foam Flammability

Published

Author(s)

Rick D. Davis, Yeon S. Kim

Abstract

This is the first reported use of Layer-by-Layer (LBL) assembly to fabricate thin film coatings on polyurethane foam, of incorporating carbon nanofibers (CNF) into LBL fabricated coatings, and of using LBL fabricated coatings to reduce the flammability of polyurethane foam. The (359.1 ± 36.0) nm thick four bilayer coating of polyetherimide/CNF (cationic layer) and polyacrylic acid (anionic layer) contained (50.9 ± 0.1) mass fraction % CNF. This CNF coating covered the entire internal and external surfaces of the porous foam. The distribution of the CNFs was non-uniform on the microscale with regions of large CNF aggregation to regions with individual CNFs and isolated regions that appeared to contain no CNFs. Even though the microscopic CNF distribution was non-uniform, the macroscopic CNF network armor that was generated from this LBL process significantly reduced the flammability of the foam; i.e., 69% ± 3% reduction in total heat released and peak heat released rate.
Citation
Technical Note (NIST TN) - 1674
Report Number
1674
NIST Pub Series
Technical Note (NIST TN)
Pub Type
NIST Pubs

Download Paper

DOI Link

Keywords

Layer-By-Layer assembly, thin films, carbon nanofibers, polyurethane foam, Cone Calorimetry, flammability, soft furnishings
Fire, Fire risk reduction, Materials flammability, Composites, Polymers, Nanomaterials and Nanometrology

Citation

Davis, R. and Kim, Y. (2010), Impact of Carbon Nanofiber Layer-By-Layer Coatings on Polyurethane Foam Flammability, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/nist.tn.1674 (Accessed October 20, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].

Created September 2, 2010, Updated November 10, 2018
Was this page helpful?