The present technology provides a method of manufacturing a polyurethane foam having a low thermal conductivity from a foam formulation comprising a polyol, an isocyanate, a polyurethane catalyst, a surfactant, water, and a siloxane rich composition. The siloxane rich composition may act as a nucleating agent to reduce the cell size of the foams and may reduce its thermal conductivity.

Provided are a polyol composition in which hard caking does not occur when stored for a long period of time, and a polyurethane foam using the same.

The polyol composition comprises a polyol compound, a foaming agent, a filler, and a metal oxide fine particle, the foaming agent including a hydrofluoroolefin, and the metal oxide fine particle having a count number ratio of OH ions of a metal constituting the metal oxide fine particle with respect to a total count number of all ions measured using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of 0.1 or less.

An open cell polyurethane foam is provided which has a cell size and structure which allows the foam to act as an air and water barrier while still having acceptable water vapour permeability. The foam preferably is produced using water as a blowing agent, and includes a mixture of open cell-promoting, and closed-cell-promoting surfactants so as to provide an open cell foam structure having a cell size of about 1 μm, a density of about 1.05 lb per cubic foot, and wherein the cell structure includes randomly occurring solid walls on some cells. The open cell polyurethane foams of the present invention are suitable for use as insulation on the exterior surfaces of a building.

A phenolic foam formed from a composition comprising a phenolic resin, a blowing agent, an acid catalyst, and a surfactant comprising: (i) an ethoxylated castor oil, and (ii) a polysiloxane comprising a side chain comprising polyethylene oxide wherein the total molecular weight of the polyethylene oxide of the side chain comprises less than 50% of the total molecular weight of the polysiloxane.

Rigid polyurethane foams are made using a mixture of polyols that includes 4 to 33% by weight of triisopropanolamine. The mixture of polyols is reacted with an aromatic polyisocyanate in the presence of a blowing agent, a foam-stabilizing surfactant and a urethane catalyst to produce the foam. The foams are useful as thermal insulation layers in multilayer thermal insulation assemblies such as appliance cabinets and walls for industrial and commercial freezers and refrigerators.

A flexible discontinuous process produces a series of at least two articles containing thermally insulating polyurethane foam from at least three streams (A), (B) and (C). The process involves mixing the at least three streams with different mixing ratios and injecting the mixture into cavities of the articles. A production unit can be used for performing this process.

The present disclosure relates generally to methods, devices and systems for insulation, e.g., of cavities associated with walls, ceilings, floors and other building structures, with foam insulation. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method for providing a cavity of a building with an expanded foam insulation. The method includes dispensing an amount of an expanding foam insulation into the cavity, the expanding foam insulation being dispensable and expandable to provide the expanded foam insulation material, the expanding foam insulation material formed from a premix comprising at least one polyol, at least one polyisocyanate, a blowing agent, and an encapsulated catalyst, the encapsulated catalyst comprising a plurality of catalyst capsules, each comprising an amount of catalyst and a capsule shell encapsulating the catalyst, wherein the dispensing is performed to apply a force to the encapsulated catalyst sufficient to break capsules and release catalyst, the released catalyst initiating reaction between the at least one polyol and the at least one isocyanate; and then allowing the dispensed amount of expanding foam insulation to substantially finish expanding after it is dispensed in the cavity, thereby forming the expanded foam insulation in the cavity.

External thermal insulation composite systems described herein include a concrete or masonry wall and a multilayer thermal insulation board disposed on the concrete or masonry wall. The multilayer thermal insulation board includes at least one closed cell foam layer comprising polyurethane and polyisocyanurate having an open cell volume of less than 20% by volume according to ASTM D 6226 and at least one open cell foam layer comprising polyurethane and polyisocyanurate having an open cell volume of greater than 80% by volume according to ASTM D 6226.

The present invention provides compositions and methods related to aerogel materials, including polyimide-based aerogels. In particular, aerogel materials optimized to have certain physical and chemical properties such as flexural and compressive strength are provided. In some embodiments, the aerogel materials can be at least partially carbonized.

The present invention relates to a composition comprising a binder comprising one or more siloxane polymers, silicone resins, silicone based elastomers, and mixtures thereof, wherein said binder optionally comprises one or more cross-linker components comprising a silane and/or a siloxane containing silicon-bonded hydrolysable groups; and a hydrophilic powder and/or gel selected from one or more amorphous, porous hydrophilic silica(s), one or more hydrophilic silica aerogel(s) and mixtures thereof, said amorphous, porous hydrophilic silica and/or said hydrophilic silica aerogel having a BET surface area from 100 m.sup.2/g to 1500 m.sup.2/g or greater and a thermal conductivity from 0.004 to 0.05 W/m.Math.K at 20° C. and atmospheric pressure. The invention also relates to the use of said composition as or in thermally or acoustically insulating materials and to coatings, products and articles made therefrom.