Novel water repellent and flame resistant treatments for bio-sourced construction materials

 
Bio-based materials offer an attractive route to sustainable and environmentally responsible construction products. Reduced embodied energy, high performance insulation, locally sourced materials and reduced transportation impacts all contribute to aesthetically attractive and functionally effective alternatives to conventional materials. Pre-assembly and the use of novel treatments to address issues such as water repellency and flame retardancy has been the basis of the Isobio project. This development of new construction materials and the establishment of novel treatments based on advanced silicon chemistry and the use of sol-gel technology will be described. The deposition of nanoscale coatings to provide the required enhancements together with the establishment of a manufacturing protocol to bring these coatings to market will also be discussed.