Polymer Foams for Building Insulation (STYROFOAM and beyond)

Thermoplastic foams have been used in buildings for over 75 years, since the initial introduction of STYROFOAM™ extruded polystyrene foam. Although significant progress has been made to improve the product performance, durability and sustainability, the process itself has remained relatively unchanged, and the levers used to control foam structure – and thus performance - still rely on empiricism. An examination of mechanisms involved in the foaming process of thermoplastic polymers points to the difficulty of predicting cell nucleation density, as well as the quantitative influence of cells interactions during expansion and stabilization. These limitations are particularly apparent now that the foam community has turned its attention to nanocellular foams, which are expected to demonstrate superior properties but are very difficult produce by known commercial processes.

[ STYROFOAM™ is a trademark of DuPont Inc. ]