Imagine that you’re driving on a two-lane road. It’s dark and rainy. Maybe you’re driving faster than you should be. Perhaps some animal darts into the road. Or maybe another driver loses control of their vehicle. You swerve and slam on the brakes, but the collision has already been set into motion. Your seat belt tightens as your car crashes, and the only object between you and a serious injury or even death is a thin nylon bag full of nitrogen gas—an airbag. The chemistry used to inflate airbags has evolved. Over the years, automakers have sought to use more efficient, less expensive chemical transformations and to reduce use of any potentially hazardous compounds. But those changes haven’t always been for the better. In the late 1990s, the automotive parts manufacturer Takata launched an airbag formulation that led to recalls that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describes
The chemical reaction used to deploy airbags has evolved, but one iteration resulted in massive recalls
10.1021/cen-10041-feature3-airbag-gr1
Airbags save thousands of lives each year. (Credit: Shutterstock)
What’s that stuff? Airbags
C&EN
Chemical & Engineering News ; 100 , 41 ; 26-27
2022-11-21
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
Unknown
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