Collaborative Research: Engineering Fully Biobased Foams for the Building Industry

建筑满足了广泛的个人和社会需求，但也带来了巨大的环境挑战。他们每年消耗大约40%的美国能源资源和40%的二氧化碳排放量。虽然某些材料在退役后会被重新使用或回收，但大多数材料都作为建筑和拆除废物被填埋。木材、塑料和干墙构成了建筑和拆除垃圾的很大一部分。这些材料通常使用时间较短，在垃圾填埋场中不易降解，并且在分离和回收方面需要消耗大量能源。许多材料都有可能被可快速再生和可生物降解（当停用时）的材料取代。该项目的目的是为建筑设计一种新型的完全可回收的刚性绝缘材料，这种材料有助于节能建筑操作，改善室内声音和潜在的空气质量，并且很有可能被建筑行业采用。通过北德克萨斯大学和斯坦福大学的合作，将会有一群不同的本科生和研究生接受教育。这项研究将被纳入相关课程和在线公开学习模块。此外，该项目提出了一个有趣的话题，以吸引年轻人参与K-12外展计划。这个合作研究项目的目标是设计一种完全生物资源的复合泡沫，以实现可调的建筑应用的热、声和机械性能。该技术方法将结合材料、化学和结构工程师的专业知识：(1)使用可再生颗粒来研究颗粒大小、形状和孔隙度对生物复合泡沫细胞形成的影响；(2)探索颗粒的界面化学，以影响颗粒泡沫的分散和细胞结构；(3)确定使用不同聚合物的方法。通过一种新的超临界二氧化碳批处理方法，实现了闭孔和混合开孔和闭孔泡沫的共混和发泡条件，有利于建筑规模板的制造。湿气对热学、声学和机械性能的影响也将被研究，以了解在使用中的行为。性能指标最初将针对住宅建筑中使用的现有刚性绝缘泡沫，并将扩展到评估建筑组件的新材料组件。这项研究将(1)导致对填料-聚合物相互作用、细胞成核、气泡生长及其对水分、热和声学现象等传输的影响的新理解；(2)促进对细胞结构中全生物基材料的理解，这对轻量化和功能材料的所有领域都至关重要。(3)在细胞结构有多种用途的领域提供可再生的替代品，从生物医学到交通运输以及建筑科学。

Buildings meet a wide array of personal and societal needs but present large environmental challenges. They consume roughly 40 percent of US energy resources annually and 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. While certain materials are reused or recycled after their removal from service, most are landfilled as construction and demolition waste. Wood, plastics, and drywall make up a significant portion of construction and demolition waste. These materials are often used for short durations, are resistant to degradation in landfills, and are energy intensive to separate and recycle. Many can potentially be replaced by rapidly renewable and biodegradable (when out of service) materials. The aim of this project is to engineer a new class of fully recyclable rigid insulating material for buildings that contribute to energy-efficient building operations, improved indoor sound and potentially air quality, and have a high likelihood of adoption by the construction industry. Through the collaboration between University of North Texas and Stanford, a diverse cohort of undergraduate and graduate students will be educated. This research will be incorporated into relevant courses and online publically accessible learning modules. Furthermore, this project presents a curious topic to engage young minds in K-12 outreach programs.The objective of this collaborative research project is to engineer a fully bio-resourced composite foam to achieve tunable concurrent thermal, acoustic and mechanical performance for building applications. The technical approach will combine the expertise of materials, chemical and structural engineers to (1) use renewable particulates to investigate the impact of particle size, shape and porosity on cellular formation of biocomposite foams, (2) explore interfacial chemistry of the particulates to impact particle-foam dispersion and cellular architecture, and (3) identify methods of using different polymers, blends and foaming conditions to achieve closed-cell and mixed open and closed-cell foams through a novel supercritical carbon dioxide batch processing method that is conducive to the fabrication of building-scale panels. The impact of moisture on thermal, acoustic and mechanical properties will also be investigated to understand in-service behavior. Performance metrics will initially target those of existing rigid insulating foams used in residential construction and will be extended to the evaluation of new material assemblies for building components. This research will (1) lead to new understanding of filler-polymer interactions, cell nucleation, bubble growth and their consequences on transport such as moisture, thermal and acoustic phenomena, (2) advance understanding of fully bio-based materials in cellular structures that are vital to all areas of lightweight and functional materials, and (3) offer renewable alternatives to fields where cellular structures find multiple uses ranging from biomedical to transportation as well as building science.