• The Institute has succeeded in lowering building temperatures with a façade coating that improves fire safety.
• IMDEA Materials has also developed a polyurethane foam capable of resisting flames, suppressing smoke emissions, and preventing bacterial growth.
• These lines of research will also help equip firefighting services with materials that support efforts to combat disasters such as the recent wildfire in the Sierra Oeste region.

The Community of Madrid is researching materials with fire-resistant and flame-retardant properties to reduce the risk of fires.

Today, the Regional Minister for Education, Science and Universities, Mercedes Zarzalejo, visited the facilities of the IMDEA Materials Institute in Getafe to learn about the research lines and leading projects being carried out by this specialised centre.

One of these projects, developed in collaboration with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has demonstrated how building temperatures can be reduced by more than seven degrees through the restructuring of façade coating materials.

This technology not only lowers energy consumption but also improves fire safety by slowing the spread of flames and dissipating heat.

The institute has also developed a polyurethane foam in collaboration with Francisco de Vitoria University of Madrid and Chongqing Jiaotong University in China. The foam is capable of resisting fire, suppressing smoke emissions, and preventing bacterial growth.

These properties are particularly valuable in settings such as hospitals and public transportation systems, where they can be used in seats or insulating panels and are essential for both safety and public health.

Along the same lines, the FireSafeBATT project, which is part of the Community of Madrid’s César Nombela Talent Attraction Program, is focused on developing safe and long-lasting lithium-ion batteries.

In addition, the centre has expanded its laboratories into a new building dedicated to the accelerated discovery of materials through artificial intelligence and robotics, hydrogen production, CO₂ conversion, and fire-resistance testing.

“We will continue strengthening all research lines related to fire prevention and firefighting, and we will develop new projects that provide emergency response services with materials that help them confront fires such as the one that devastated the Sierra Oeste area of the region this summer,” said the minister.

IMDEA Materials is currently involved in 82 R&D projects spanning regional, national, European, and international research initiatives focused on sectors related to mobility, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing.

The institute has recently launched a new program in Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and has strengthened its healthcare research area with two new groups specialising in Bioinspired, Smart and Living Materials and Tissue Engineering and Biomedical Materials.