[en] Expanded graphite (EG) with high infrared (IR) absorption is incorporated at low concentrations (≤2 wt%) into polystyrene (PS) foams to reduce radiative thermal conductivity and solid thermal conductivity, which account for 20~40% and 10~30% of total thermal conductivity, respectively. After systematically and quantitatively investigating thermal insulation behavior in PS/EG foams, it was found that the inclusion of 1 wt% EG in 25-fold expanded PS/EG foam blocks over 90% of the radiative thermal conductivity, with only a marginal increase in heat conduction. A great reduction in total thermal conductivity from 36.5 to 30.2 mW·m-1·K-1 was then achieved. By further optimization using a co-blowing agent in the supercritical CO2 foaming process, superthermal insulating PS/EG foam with a total thermal conductivity of 19.6 mW·m-1·K-1 was achieved for the first time. This significant result implies that the composite material design together with the foaming process design is capable of obtaining a superthermal insulating composite foam by using the following strategy: using additives with high IR absorption efficiency, a foam with a large expansion ratio, and a co-blowing agent with low gas conductivity.
Research Center/Unit :
CESAM - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials - ULiège [BE] CERM - Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules - ULiège [BE]
Disciplines :
Materials science & engineering Chemistry
Author, co-author :
Gong, Pengjian; University of Toronto - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory [MPML] - Canada ; University of Sichuan - College of Polymer Science and Engineering - China
Tran, Minh-Phuong; University of Toronto - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory [MPML] - Canada
Buahom, Piyapong ; University of Toronto - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory [MPML] - Canada
Detrembleur, Christophe ; University of Liège [ULiège] - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials [CESAM] Research Unit - Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules [CERM] - Belgium ; Walloon Excellence [ WEL] Research Institute - Wavre - Belgium
Thomassin, Jean-Michel; University of Liège [ULiège] - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials [CESAM] Research Unit - Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules [CERM] - Belgium
Kenig, Samuel ; Shenkar College - Department of Polymers and Plastics Engineering - Israel
Wang, Quanbing; Jiangxi Tongyi Polymer Material Technology - Ganzhou - China
Park, Chul B ; University of Toronto - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory [MPML] - Canada
Language :
English
Title :
Thermal insulation foam of polystyrene/expanded graphite composite with reduced radiation and conduction
Publication date :
11 April 2025
Journal title :
Polymers
ISSN :
2073-4360
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), Switzerland
Volume :
17
Issue :
8
Pages :
1040
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
NSERC - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council F.R.S.-FNRS - Fund for Scientific Research
Funding text :
This research was funded by National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT), Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (B13040), National Natural Science Foundation (No. 52073187 and 52473038), Sichuan Science and Technology Program (No. 2024ZHCG0176 and 2024ZHCG0139), and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering (No. sklpme2022-2-03).
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