Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC

Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc.

Other

Roland R Loh

Yadollah Delaviz

Mark E Polasky

Raymond Marshall Breindel

Bharat B Patel

Mitchell Zane Weekley

Joseph P Rynd

Xiangmin Han

Barbara A Fabian

Nikoi Annan

Klin Aloysius Rodrigues

Byron Jeffrey Hulls

Thomas C Allen

Richard B Cass

J Patrick Rynd

Sheree L Bargabos

Xia Cao

L James Lee

Manoj Choudhary

S Thomas Brammer

Kurt W Koelling

James L Lee

Zhang Wentao

Gu Nong

Raymond M Briendel

Rebecca E Cochran

Jiong Shen

Yadolah Delaviz

Rebecca Cochran

Thomas Brammer

Organic infrared attenuation agents have been developed to improve the thermal insulation properties of polymeric foams such as polystyrene low density foams. The organic infrared attenuation agents can include polyols such as sorbitol, maltitol, and poly(ethylene glycol), polysaccharides such as starch or cellulose, and infrared attenuation polyesters such as polybutylene terephthalate. The organic attenuation agents include aromatic compounds or carbon oxygen bonds that are effective in absorbing infrared radiation at the desired wavelengths.

Organic infrared attenuation agents

Rigid foam insulating products and processes for making such insulation products are disclosed. The foam products are formed from a polymer, a blowing agent, and nano-graphite. The nano-graphite has a size in at least one dimension less than about 100 nm and, in exemplary embodiments may be an intercalated, expanded nano-graphite. In addition, the nano-graphite may include a plurality of nanosheets having a thickness between about 10 to about 100 nanometers. The nano-graphite acts as a process additive to improve the physical properties of the foam product, such as thermal insulation and compressive strength. In addition, the nano-graphite in the foam controls cell morphology and acts as a nucleating agent in the foaming process. Further, the nano-graphite exhibits overall compound effects on foam properties including improved insulating value (increased R-value) for a given thickness and density and improved ultraviolet (UV) stability.

Thermoplastic foams and method of forming them using nano-graphite

Disclosed is a method for making polystyrene foam which utilizes one or more atmospheric gases, particularly CO, as the blowing agent in combination with a polymer processing aid (PPA), typically an ester that is relatively non-volatile at the extrusion temperature range. The blowing agent and the PPA may both be introduced into the molten thermoplastic polystyrene resin or the PPA may be incorporated in the solid source polystyrene resins. The resulting foam will be substantially free of residual blowing agent and dimensionally stable at ambient temperatures.

Method of manufacturing polystyrene foam with polymer processing additives

Polymer extruded foams that contain cell size enlarging agents are provided. The inventive composition includes a foamable polymer material, at least one blowing agent, and at least one cell size enlarging agent. The blowing agent utilized in the inventive composition is preferably selected such that the composition has a zero ozone depletion and low global warming potential. Examples include any inorganic blowing agents and/or non-hydrogenated chlorofluorocarbons (non-HCFCs). The foamable polymer material is preferably polystyrene. The cell size enlarging agent may be chosen from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and/or ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA). The cell size enlarging agent permits the formation of a foam with large cell sizes that are desirable to achieve a high insulation value and to optimize the physical properties of the foamed product. In addition, the cell size enlarging agent provides an increased cell size to the foamed product without detracting from the physical and thermal properties.

Cell size enlargers for polystyrene foams

Polymer extruded or expanded foams that contain modifier-free nanoclays are provided. The addition of modifier-free nano-clays to extruded or expanded foam products improves the thermal properties, mechanical properties, and fire performance properties. Water or a water-containing compound is used as a carrier for the modifier-free nanoclays. The final foamed products may be utilized in building application such as foamed insulation products and in underground applications such as highway insulation. A preferred modifier-free nanoclay is NaMMT. Modifier-free nanoclay particles may be injected into a polymer during an extrusion foaming process. In another embodiment of the invention, polymer beads containing water/nanoclay particles are formed using inverse emulsion/suspension polymerizations and expanded or extruded into a foamed product. In a further embodiment, a modifier-free nanoclay particle is encapsulated in a super-absorbent material, which may be used in an expanding or extruding process.

Polystyrene foam containing a modifier-free nanoclay and having improved fire protection performance

Provided are methods for producing a high strength, but easily deformed, polystyrene foam board that can endure repeated deformations from its original configuration into more complex curved shapes without damaging the board integrity or substantially reducing its structural strength. Also provided are rigid polystyrene foam boards produced by this method that exhibit improved bending and impact resistance while substantially retaining or improving other properties, for example, the thermal dimensional stability and fire resistance, exhibited by corresponding conventional XPS foam boards. The foamable compositions may incorporate one or more of a variety of polymer processing aids for the purpose of altering the performance of the final foam products, thereby allowing the properties of the final foam product to be customized to some degree.

Deformable, rigid polystyrene foam board

Polymeric foam and polymeric foam products that contain a foamable polymer material, at least one blowing agent, activated carbon, and water are provided. The activated carbon acts as both a water absorbent and carrier for the water. The activated carbon is able to control and increase cell size even in the presence of carbon dioxide, HFCs, and/or infrared attenuating agents. Additionally, the activated carbon permits a desired amount of water to be introduced into the polymer melt. By controlling the amount of activated carbon and its water content during an extrusion process, a broad range of cell sizes can be obtained in the extruded product. In exemplary embodiments, the activated carbon is added to a primary extruder and water is directly injected into a secondary extruder. Alternatively, the activated carbon is compounded with a polymer resin, pre-hydrated by conditioning or steam impregnation, and added to a primary or secondary extruder.

Porous carbon-containing compounds as water carriers and cell size controlling agents for polymeric foams

A process for making closed-cell, alkenyl aromatic polymer foams using nano-particle nucleation agents to control the cell morphology of the resulting foam includes forming a polymer melt at a temperature above the polymer glass transition temperature (for crystal polymers) or the polymer melt point (for amorphous polymers); incorporating selected nano-particles into the polymer melt; incorporating blowing agents into the polymer melt at an elevated pressure; optionally incorporating other additives, such as flame retardants, into the polymer melt; and extruding the polymer melt under conditions sufficient to produce a foam product having a desired cell morphology, characterized by parameters such as reduced average cell size range and/or increased asymmetry of the cells.

Method of forming thermoplastic foams using nano-particles to control cell morphology

Provided are methods for producing a high strength, but easily deformed, polystyrene foam board that can endure repeatedly deformations from its original configuration into more complex curved shapes without damaging the board integrity or substantially reducing its structural strength. Also provided are rigid polystyrene foam boards produced by this method that exhibit improved bending and impact resistance while substantially retaining or improving other properties, for example, the thermal dimensional stability and fire resistance, exhibited by corresponding conventional XPS foam boards. The foamable compositions may incorporate one or more of a variety of polymer processing aids for the purpose of altering the performance of the final foam products, thereby allowing the properties of the final foam product to be customized to some degree.

Disclosed is a method for making polystyrene foam which utilizes one or more atmospheric gases, particularly combinations of HFCs and CO, as the blowing system in combination with a polymer processing aid (PPA), typically an ester that is relatively non-volatile at the extrusion temperature range. The blowing system and the PPA may both be introduced into the molten thermoplastic polystyrene resin or the PPA may be incorporated in the solid source polystyrene resins. The resulting foams will typically exhibit improved dimensional stability at ambient temperatures.

This invention relates to foam insulating products, particularly extruded polystyrene foam, containing multi-layered nano-graphite as a process additive for improving the physical properties of foam products.

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Tallmadge, OH, United States of America

Roland R Loh