Starlite is a material claimed to be able to withstand and insulate from extremes of heat.
Starlite was invented by amateur chemist (and former hairdresser) Maurice Ward during the 1970s and 1980s, and received a large amount of publicity in 1993 thanks to Tomorrow's World. Maurice Ward died in May 2011.
Ward's granddaughter came up with the name Starlite.
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Under tests Starlite withstands attack by a laser beam producing a temperature of 10,000 degrees Celsius. Live demonstrations on Tomorrow's World and BBC Radio 4 showed that Starlite could keep an egg cold even under 5 minutes of blowtorch attack, and would also prevent a blowtorch from damaging a human hand. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4nnLP--uTI)
Ward has allowed various organizations such as the Atomic Weapons Establishment and ICI to conduct tests on samples, but he has not allowed them to retain samples for fear of reverse-engineering. With additional demands of 51% profits from commercialization, which may have hindered Starlite's takeup.
Though Ward has claimed discussions with various organizations such as NASA, as of May 2009 there appears to have been no commercialization of Starlite. Tests have shown that Ward's discovery could revolutionize many areas such as defense, space exploration, personal safety and aviation.
Starlite's composition is a closely guarded secret, but it is said to contain a variety of (organic) polymers and co-polymers with both organic and inorganic additives, including borates and small quantities of ceramics and other special barrier ingredients — up to 21 in all. Perhaps uniquely for a thermal and blast-proof material, it is not wholly inorganic but up to 90 percent organic. [1]