Gabriele Dobenecker, Khalifah Salmeia, Jingyi Rao, Cordula Hirsch, Sabyasachi Gaan and Empa CEO Gian-Luca Bona
The Empa Innovation Award 2016 went to chemist Sabyasachi Gaan and his team. The researchers were recognized for the development of new, non-toxic and environmentally friendly fireproofing agents for the production of flame retard polyurethane foams, which are used in mattresses, seat upholstery and insulation modules for house façades, for instance. The prize was awarded on 8 November against the backdrop of the Empa Technology and Innovation Forum. We frequently encounter polyurethane (PU) foams in everyday life: they are in the insulation in house façades and refrigerators, in car seats, in living room sofas and in shoe soles. PU mostly consists of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen atoms. As the air trapped in the foam's pores also contains oxygen, the foam is highly flammable like most organic polymers and a flame retardant has to be incorporated in it to reduce the risk of fire. In recent decades, foam manufacturers usually used chlorinated phosphate as a flame retardant - a cost-effective additive that doesn't disrupt the production process.
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