SBIR Phase I: Inorganic Phase Change Materials Embedded in Closed-Cell Foams

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发一种用于喷雾聚氨酯泡沫(SPF)绝缘的添加剂，该添加剂可以在温暖的日子吸收热量，减少冷却需求，并降低建筑和运营能源成本。这种添加剂由廉价的原材料组成，该公司正在设计一种合成工艺，将生产复杂性和成本降至最低。由此产生的绝缘添加剂复合材料的性能将比现有的SPF高出40%。因此，在炎热的气候下，可以减少所需的绝缘量，从而为客户带来零日回报。这颠覆了目前PCM产品的经济性，通常需要大量的前期投资和较长的回收期。此外，采用这些添加剂将降低冷却建筑所需的电力，从而缩小其环境足迹。此外，该复合材料将在施工期间以与SPF相同的方式应用，减少采用的障碍。北美绝缘材料市场的总规模为每年110亿美元。SPF占这个市场的9%，即9.9亿美元，并以每年5%的速度增长。该项目的智力优势在于在绝缘添加剂中使用了廉价的无机相变材料(PCM)，以及添加剂的插入式。市场上大多数增强相变的建筑材料使用有机相变材料，尽管很容易加工，但价格昂贵且易燃。此外，这些材料的应用与现有的施工工艺不相容。相比之下，这项工作中开发的产品使用了更便宜的阻燃无机相变材料，而且在施工过程中，这种添加剂将很容易作为SPF绝缘的复合材料使用。无机相变材料通常缺乏热可逆性，这意味着它们不能每天循环，不能用作建筑材料。然而，我们已经开发出一种创新的处理方法，可以产生热可逆的小颗粒。该公司目前的研究重点是在一次性工艺中将添加剂混合到聚氨酯泡沫中，使用疏水泡沫作为添加剂的保护，防止添加剂泄漏和可能降解添加剂的大气水蒸气。通过与喷射泡沫制造商合作，该团队将调整添加剂的性质，以确保与SPF及其前体的兼容性，并确保所得到的复合材料具有更长的使用寿命。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will result in the development of an additive for spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation that absorbs heat on warm days, reducing cooling needs and lowering construction and operational energy costs. The additive consists of cheap raw materials, and the company is designing a synthesis process that will minimize production complexity and costs. The resulting insulation additive composite will perform up to 40% more effectively than existing SPF. Thus, in hot climates, the amount of insulation needed can be reduced, resulting in zero-day payback for customers. This upends the current economics of PCM products, which ordinarily require a substantial upfront investment and a long payback period. Furthermore, the adoption of these additives will lower the electricity needed to cool the building, shrinking its environmental footprint. In addition, the composite will be applied during construction in the same way as SPF, reducing barriers to adoption. The total North American market for insulation is $11 billion per year. SPF makes up 9%, or $990 million, of this market, and is growing by 5% per year.The intellectual merit of this project lies in the use of inexpensive inorganic phase-change materials (PCMs) in the insulation additive, and the drop-in nature of the additive. Most PCM-enhanced building materials on the market use organic PCMs, which although easy to process, are expensive and flammable. In addition, the application of these materials is incompatible with existing construction processes. In contrast, the product to be developed in this effort uses cheaper inorganic PCMs that are flame retardant, and the additive will be easily applied during construction as a composite with SPF insulation. Inorganic PCMs usually suffer from a lack of thermal reversibility, meaning that they cannot cycle daily and would not be useful as a building material. However, we have developed an innovative processing method that creates small particles that are thermally reversible. The company's current research focuses on mixing the additive into polyurethane foam in a drop-in process, using the hydrophobic foam as protection for the additive from leakage and atmospheric water vapor that may degrade the additive. By working with spray foam manufacturers, the team will adjust properties of the additive to ensure compatibility with SPF and its precursors, and a long lifespan for the resulting composite.