CAREER: Fire Resistant Geopolymer Materials for Resilient Structures in Wildfire Prone Regions

This Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award will advance the science and engineering of fire-resistant construction materials to improve the resilience of buildings exposed to extreme heat and wildfire. Increasing wildfire intensity has created urgent challenges for protecting homes and infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable regions. This project will develop advanced geopolymer materials as an alternative to conventional fire protection materials by using innovative material architectures that combine structural strength and thermal insulation. The project will establish fundamental knowledge needed to design materials that better resist heat-induced damage and improve structural performance during fire exposure. The research will promote the progress of science by advancing understanding of fire-resistant materials, support national welfare by improving safety and resilience of the built environment, and contribute to economic competitiveness through innovation in construction materials. Integrated educational activities will train students in advanced materials and fire resilience, create new learning opportunities through curriculum development and online education, and increase participation in STEM through outreach to schools, industry, and communities. The research will develop a systematic framework for engineering fire resistant geopolymer materials that combine load bearing and thermal insulating capabilities. The project is organized around four technical goals: optimizing dense and foamed geopolymers derived from regional aluminosilicate precursors; engineering layered microstructures that control heat transfer and mechanical response; characterizing phase evolution, pore structure, and failure mechanisms under extreme temperatures using advanced experimental methods; and developing predictive, multiscale models that link chemistry, processing, structure, and fire performance. The research methodology integrates statistically designed experiments, controlled microstructural tailoring, in situ high temperature characterization techniques, and computational modeling of heat transfer and degradation behavior. By coupling experimental observations with physics-based models, the research moves beyond empirical fire testing approaches toward predictive material design. The expected outcomes include quantitative structure–property relationships, validated design tools, and scalable material strategies that enable performance driven fire protection solutions. This integrated approach will advance fundamental understanding of geopolymer materials under extreme conditions and provide a scientific basis for next generation fire resistant construction systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2542167 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Maryam Hojati | Institution: University of New Mexico, ALBUQUERQUE, NM | Award Amount: $597,738 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2542167 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2542167.html