Starlite (material)
Starlite is a heat-resistant and insulating plastic that was developed by the English amateur chemist and hairdresser Maurice Ward (* 1933, † May 2011) around 1985, the composition of which, however, has not yet been clarified. According to his own statement, he was inspired by the British Airtours flight 28M accident on August 22, 1985, in which 53 passengers and two crew members died. Starlite was made known to a larger audience in 1990 through a report in the BBC 's science television magazine Tomorrow's World with Peter Macann. In the program, a raw chicken egg was exposed to the flame of a blowtorch for a long time . The Starlite coating not only kept the egg raw, you could pick it up without burning yourself.
properties
Starlite is white and can be processed into a mass that, like paint, can be applied as a thin layer.
When shown on British TV, Starlite survived 1200 ° C and does not seem to pass the heat on. According to its inventor, no toxic substances are released when exposed to heat. Professor Keith Lewis carried out laser tests on Starlite on behalf of the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) in Malvern , but could not explain whether the plastic dissipates, reflects or absorbs the heat.
No marketing
Ward allowed a number of companies to test his invention, including former British chemical company Imperial Chemical Industries , but never allowed samples to remain with the companies for fear that Starlite would be decrypted and marketed without it. His insistence on keeping 51% of the rights to the formula was another barrier to potential buyers, so it is believed Maurice Ward took his secret to the grave instead of entrusting it to one of his four daughters.
The American company Thermashield claims to have acquired the formula for Starlite from Widow Wards in 2013. Since then, they have published several tests that reproduce Ward's experimental results with their material.
composition
Maurice Ward kept the formula for Starlite a secret, but said it was a blend of 21 ingredients, including mostly organic polymers, copolymers, and small amounts of ceramic.
reproduction
In 2018, the Youtuber NightHawkInLight published videos showing a material with a very similar resistance. The material consists mainly of starch, baking soda and polyvinyl acetate glue.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Starlite, the nuclear blast-defying plastic that could change the world - Telegraph
- ↑ a b The power of cool: Whatever became of Starlite? - New Scientist
- ^ The Secret Life of Starlite - I, Science
- ↑ The mystery of Starlite. February 8, 2016, accessed April 3, 2019 .
- ↑ News. Retrieved April 3, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ This YouTuber Creates the Almost Indestructible Supermaterial, Starlite in his Kitchen. Retrieved April 3, 2019 (American English).