Cognis IP Management Gmbh

Basf Se Corporation

Dagmar Stahlhut-Behn

Hans-Christian Raths

Paul Birnbrich

Hans-Josef Thomas

Gilbert Schenker

Stefan Busch

Almud Folge

Bjoern Thomas Hahn

A method of thermally insulating a transport means or an industrial or plant construction comprises obtaining a nanoporous foam (NP1) by reacting epoxy resin(s) (E) with amphiphilic epoxy resin hardener(s) (H) in water by a phase inversion polymerization wherein the binder content during polymerization is from 15% to 39.9% by weight, and installing the nanoporous polymer foam as a thermal insulation material in transport means or in an industrial or plant construction.

Use of nanoporous polymer foams as heat-insulating materials

The invention relates to composite materials, containing (i) a nanoporous polymer foam, which can be obtained by reacting one or more epoxy resins with one or more amphiphilic epoxy resin hardeners in water in a phase inversion polymerization process, and (ii) one or more inorganic fillers and/or inorganic fibers, with the stipulation that hollow glass balls are excluded as fillers. Said composite materials are suitable as heat-insulating materials.

Composite material

Polymer foams comprising macropores, the macropores having average cross sections of above 500 nm, are obtainable by reacting one or more epoxy resins with one or more amphiphilic epoxy resin hardeners in water in a phase inversion polymerization, where, during the phase inversion polymerization, but after phase inversion has taken place, a volume increase of the internal voids which form initially, and which are present predominantly as micropores having average cross sections of below 500 nm, is induced such that the fraction of the macropores&#x2014;relative to the entirety of micropores and macropores present in the polymer foam&#x2014;at the end of the phase inversion polymerization is above 50% by volume. Polymer foams of the present invention are suitable for use as acoustic insulation materials in means of transport and in industrial and plant construction.

Macropore-containing polymer foams as insulation materials

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Düsseldorf, Germany

Dagmar Stahlhut-Behn