Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC

Yadollah Delaviz

Raymond Marshall Breindel

Roland R Loh

Bharat B Patel

Xiangmin Han

Mark E Polasky

Mitchell Zane Weekley

Chase J Boudreaux

John R Green

Nigel Ravenscroft

Jose Mendez-Andino

Nikoi Annan

S Thomas Brammer

Heather Alspaugh

John Frank Budinscak, Jr

Barbara A Fabian

Klin Aloysius Rodrigues

Joseph P Rynd

Barbara Fabian

Xia Cao

William E Downey

L James Lee

Jeffrey Scott Thomas

Manoj Choudhary

Kathleen M Bullock

Kurt W Koelling

William James Ramsey

James L Lee

Christine Turner

Jiong Shen

Troy N Weyher

David R Beatty

Rebecca E Cochran

Barbara Ann Fabian

Liang Chen

Rebecca Cochran

Thomas Brammer

Frank C O'brien-Bernini

John F Budinscak

Inorganic infrared attenuation agent blends have been developed to improve the thermal insulation properties of polymeric foams such as polystyrene low density foams. The inorganic infrared attenuation agent blends can include two or more metal oxides such as silicon dioxide, manganese (IV) oxide, iron (III) oxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth (III) oxide, cobalt oxide, zirconium (IV) oxide, molybdenum (III) oxide, titanium oxide, and calcium oxide. In some preferred embodiments, the inorganic infrared attenuation agent blends can include four or more of these metal oxides.

Infrared attenuation agent blends

Disclosed is a blowing agent composition comprising a hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) and a branched hydrocarbon, and a foamable polymer composition comprising the blowing agent composition. Also disclosed is a method of making a polymer foam utilizing a blowing agent composition comprising an HFO and a branched hydrocarbon.

Blowing agent compositions for insulating foams

A composition and method for making polymeric foam is provided. The composition includes a flame retardant composition comprising brominated polymeric compounds. The resulting polymeric foams have a low bromine content of from about 0.01-0.5 wt. %, while maintaining acceptable flame retardant characteristics.

Polymeric foam comprising low levels of brominated flame retardant and method of making same

A foamable polymeric mixture is provided that includes a polymer composition and at least one blowing agent. The blowing agent may comprise any blowing agents known not to deplete the ozone or increase the prevalence of global warming, such as CO, HFO, HFC and mixtures thereof. The foamable polymeric mixture may further includes at least one processing aid comprising an organic phase changing material. The inventive foamable mixture is capable of processing at a pressure range of 800 to 1200 psi (5.5 to 8.3 MPa).

Processing aids for use in manufacture extruded polystyrene foams using low global warming potential blowing agents

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

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

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

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

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Lewis Center, OH, United States of America

Yadollah Delaviz