Project BriefOpen Competition 1 - Chemistry and MaterialsEnvironmentally Benign Micro-Cellular Nano-Composite Foam for Structural and Insulation MarketDevelop advanced micro-cellular, nanocomposite rigid foam building materials with much higher structural strength and thermal insulation performance of existing materials, using environmentally benign blowing agents to replace HCFCs. Sponsor: Owens CorningOne Owens Corning ParkwayToledo, OH 43659
Owens Corning proposes a set of innovations to bring high technology to a common building material--foamed plastic insulation. Rigid plastic foams have been used in construction and other applications for a long time because they are excellent insulators and lightweight. However, they have little load-bearing capability in structures. The most common "blowing agents" now used to produce the foam are hydrocarbon chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are being phased out over the next several years because of their role in upper-atmosphere ozone depletion. The current ozone-friendly alternatives produce foams with significantly poorer thermal insulation performance because the replacement gases have greater thermal conductivities. Owens Corning researchers believe that a superior foamed plastic--with better insulating and structural properties--can be produced by combining nanoparticle additives with new processing technologies. The researchers will investigate changes to the polymer blend, nanoparticle additives, and changes to the processing equipment that should achieve better control over the size and structure of the gas cells in the foam, improving structural strength, insulation quality, and fire retardance. The superior strength of the material will enable new structural design possibilities. Benefits to the nation through energy savings, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the elimination of HCFCs in foam insulation are conservatively estimated at over $300 million in the short term -- potentially reaching billions of dollars in the long term. While the proposed technology is critically important to the company's future in the face of the mandatory phase-out of HCFCs, the company is unable to finance the development effort without ATP support because of the high-risk nature of the effort. Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio) will participate in the project by providing modeling and testing services as well as expertise in nanocomposite process development.
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