New Wallpaper Will Tell You a Home is on Fire

Wallpaper tends to be highly flammable and can be a major contributor to house fires. But researchers at Shanghai’s Institute of Ceramics are developing wallpaper that can detect fire and even act as a flame retardant.

The wallpaper is made from fire-resistant materials like graphene oxide and hydroxyapatite nanowires. Graphene is electrically insulated and can be used like a sensor switch. When heat rises above a certain temperature, it will close a circuit and activate an alarm. 

And just like commercial wallpaper, it will come in a variety of prints and colors. 

“A smart fire-resistant and fire alarm wallpaper will be very desirable if it can simultaneously prevent the fire from spreading and send out alerts in a fire disaster,” the researchers write in their study in the journal ACS Nano. 

Source: “Fire Alarm Wallpaper Based on Fire-Resistant Hydroxapatite Nanowire Inorganic Paper and Graphene Oxide Thermosensitive Sensor,” ACS Nano (2018 and “This Wired Wallpaper Could Turn Your Whole House Into a Fire Alarm,” Co.Design (March 30, 2018)