SBIR Phase II: Mass Produced, Flexible Insulation for Non-Combustible Buildings and Other High-Temperature Applications

SBIR 第二阶段：用于不燃建筑和其他高温应用的批量生产的柔性隔热材料

• 批准号: 2136493
• 负责人: Lida Lu
• 金额: $ 99.95万
• 依托单位: LIATRIS INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-03-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2136493&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Mass; Produced

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is utilizing thermal energy management to simultaneously improve the affordability, comfort, and safety of buildings, with an initial focus on meeting urgent market demand for non-combustible building insulation. This project will focus on developing a lightweight, easy-to-install, non-combustible insulation product which is also eco-friendly and non-toxic. Structure fires represent 37% of all fires in the US. These fires caused $12.3 billion in property damage and 80% of civilian fire deaths. Wildfires in the Western US, where $220 billion in residential construction is in “extreme” wildfire-prone areas, add to the urgency of this situation. Mineral wool is the only non-combustible insulation product available today but requires personal protective equipment for installation and was recently classified as carcinogenic. Fully non-combustible building insulation is a high growth market, and the broader market for all types of non-flammable insulation represents a significant opportunity. This Phase II project seeks to cost-effectively increase the supply of energy-efficient, non-combustible buildings for both new and retrofit construction, while also addressing high-temperature industrial markets which have the most intensive energy use.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to scale up a novel nanocomposite insulation product using a proprietary foaming process for inorganic aerogel-based insulation that minimizes shrinkage (thus maximizing porosity for insulation performance and minimizing material and processing cost). This approach leverages readily available materials such as clay and silica, as well as potentially renewable cellulose biomass, to produce an environmentally friendly, high performance insulation product for non-combustible buildings which is easy to install, lightweight, and non-toxic. Successfully scaling this approach on existing manufacturing equipment may solve a significant materials research challenge, creating organic-inorganic nanocomposites for thermal insulation with a competitive cost / performance ratio versus incumbent products such as fiberglass, mineral wool, and plastic foams. The Phase II project may result in the first industrially-engineered composite material for thermal insulation which is fully non-combustible. The integration of flexible polymers and radiation blocking additives would also enable use for high-temperature industrial pipe insulation, a critical energy-saving application where most existing products have significant limitations due to radiation loss.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是利用热能管理来同时提高建筑物的可负担性，舒适性和安全性，最初的重点是满足市场对不可燃建筑保温材料的迫切需求。 该项目将专注于开发一种重量轻、易于安装、不可燃、环保无毒的绝缘产品。 建筑火灾占美国所有火灾的37%。这些火灾造成了123亿美元的财产损失和80%的平民火灾死亡。 美国西部的野火，其中2200亿美元的住宅建设是在“极端”野火易发地区，增加了这种情况的紧迫性。 矿棉是目前唯一可用的不可燃绝缘产品，但需要安装个人防护设备，最近被列为致癌物质。 完全不可燃的建筑保温材料是一个高增长的市场，所有类型的不可燃保温材料的更广泛的市场代表着一个重要的机会。 该项目第二阶段旨在以具有成本效益的方式增加新建筑和改造建筑的节能、不燃建筑的供应，同时也解决了能源使用最密集的高温工业市场。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目旨在扩大一种新型纳米复合材料绝缘产品的规模，该产品使用无机气凝胶的专有发泡工艺，最大限度地减少收缩（从而最大限度地提高绝缘性能的孔隙率，并最大限度地减少材料和加工成本）。这种方法利用容易获得的材料，如粘土和二氧化硅，以及潜在的可再生纤维素生物质，生产一种环保，高性能的绝缘产品，用于不可燃建筑物，易于安装，重量轻，无毒。 在现有的制造设备上成功地扩展这种方法可以解决一个重大的材料研究挑战，创造出用于隔热的有机-无机纳米复合材料，与现有产品（如玻璃纤维，矿棉和塑料泡沫）相比具有竞争力的成本/性能比。 第二阶段项目可能会产生第一种完全不可燃的工业工程复合隔热材料。 柔性聚合物和防辐射添加剂的结合还将使其能够用于高温工业管道绝缘，这是一种关键的节能应用，大多数现有产品由于辐射损失而受到严重限制。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估而被认为值得支持。