| abstract |
A method of manufacturing a fire retardant composite, a composite and its use. A method of manufacturing a fire retardant composite by applying an aqueous gel-forming composition, e.g. a fire retardant coating composition, on a substrate comprises an aluminosilicate, the aluminosilicate comprising alkali metal aluminate and an alkali metal silicate, and an organic liquid having a boiling point greater than 110 DEG C, e.g. silicone oil. The molar ratio of SiO2:X2O for the alkali metal silicate is from 3.6:1 to 10:1, where X represents the alkali metal of the alkali metal silicate, when the alkali metal aluminate has a molar ratio of Y2O:AI2O3 of 1.35:1, where Y represents the alkali metal of the alkali metal aluminate, this providing improved water resistance for films or coatings prepared from the compositions by drying and curing. |