SBIR Phase I: Synthesis and Processing of High Performance Polymer Nanocomposite Foams

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在开发一种新的制造工艺，通过使用创新的纳米技术生产轻质，坚固和耐火的聚合物泡沫。该团队将使用具有高CO2亲和力的聚合物作为基质合成纳米复合材料，与目前的氯氟烃发泡剂相比，这是一种环境友好的工艺。为了提高耐火性，还将通过反相乳液悬浮聚合法制备无表面活性剂的水膨胀聚合物/粘土纳米复合材料。该项目将进一步扩大聚合物纳米复合材料家族，探索利用不同的纳米颗粒，如碳纳米纤维（CNF）。由于不需要表面活性剂，因此不存在火灾危险问题。这些纳米复合材料将被复合到不同的聚合物基质中，然后通过使用环境友好的CO2的间歇和连续挤出发泡工艺发泡成高性能产品。这些纳米复合材料及其共混物的发泡性和力学性能进行了研究。在商业上，纳米复合材料泡沫针对结构和绝缘应用，并且在结构应用中具有替代固体聚合物的潜力。所提出的制造工艺可以在汽车、航空航天、基础设施和住房行业实现更好的节能。这项技术的潜在市场是巨大的，因为聚合物泡沫几乎涉及现代生活的方方面面。2001年，美国的聚合物泡沫市场超过74亿磅。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop a new manufacturing process for producing light weight, strong and fire-resistant polymeric foams by using innovative nanotechnology. The team will synthesize nanocomposites using polymers with a high CO2 affinity as matrices, an environmentally friendly process compared to current chlorofluorocarbon blowing agents. To improve fire-resistance, surfactant-free and water-expandable polymer/clay nanocomposites will also be prepared by suspension polymerization of inverse emulsion. The project will further expand the polymer nanocomposite family by exploring the utilization of different nanoparticles, such as carbon nanofibers (CNFs). Since surfactants are not needed, there is no fire hazard problem. These nanocomposites will be compounded into different polymer matrices and then foamed into high performance products through both batch and continuous extrusion foaming processes using environmentally benign CO2. The foamability and mechanical properties of these nanocomposites and their blends will be investigated. Commercially, nanocomposite foams are aimed at both structural and insulationApplications and have the potential in structural applications to replace solid polymers. The proposed manufacturing process may achieve better energy savings in automotive, aerospace, infrastructure and housing industries. The potential market for this technology is huge because polymer foams touch nearly every aspect of modern life. The U.S. market for polymer foams was more than 7.4 billion pounds in 2001.