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.

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) having a thermal conductivity at 20 C. and atmospheric pressure of 0.001 to 0.15 W/m.Math.K and a surface area (SBET) of between 200 and 1500 m.sup.2/g, one or more hydrophilic aerogel (s) and mixtures thereof, wherein the binder is a solution, an emulsion, or a dispersion in water. The invention also relates to the use of the composition as or in thermally or acoustically insulating materials and to coated substrates, products and articles made by using the composition.

A method for producing a silica aerogel, the method including preparing a reactant by adding a basic catalyst to a first silica precursor solution, performing primary gelation in which the reactant is stirred to form a gel precursor, introducing a second silica precursor solution to a fiber, and performing a secondary gelation in which the gel precursor is introduced to the fiber to which the second silica precursor solution was introduced to form a silica aerogel.

Polyol blends, isocyanate-reactive compositions, polyurethane foam-forming compositions, methods of producing polyurethane foams, polyurethane foams produced from such compositions and made by such methods. The polyol blends, isocyanate-reactive compositions and polyurethane foam-forming compositions include an isopropylidenediphenol-based polyether polyol in combination with another polyol.

An isocyanate-reactive composition comprises (A) a polyol, (B) a polysiloxane, and (C) a polyether alcohol compound. A composition for preparing a foam comprises the isocyanate-reactive composition, (D) a polyisocyanate, (E) a catalyst, and (F) a blowing agent. The composition forms a foam upon at least components (A) and (D) reacting in the presence of components (E) and (F).

An object of the present invention is to provide a polyisocyanurate foam having excellent flame retardancy and a heat insulator and building material comprising the same. A flame retardant polyisocyanurate foam produced by curing a mixture comprising a polyol (A), a surfactant (B), a catalyst (C), a blowing agent (D), a polyisocyanate (E) and a flame retardant (F), wherein the catalyst (C) comprises a trimerization catalyst; the water content in the blowing agent (D) is less than 0.2 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total of the polyol (A) and the polyisocyanate (E); the flame retardant (F) comprises a red phosphorus-based flame retardant and aluminum hydroxide, and the volume average diameter of the aluminum hydroxide is not less than 40 m when measured by laser diffractometry; the total content of the red phosporus-based flame retardant and the aluminum hydroxide is 6 to 36 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total of the polyol (A) and the polyisocyanate (E); and the equivalent ratio of an isocyanate group in the polyisocyanate (E) to the total active hydrogen groups contained in the polyol (A), the surfactant (B), the catalyst (C) and the blowing agent (D) (NCO/OH ratio) is more than 2.0.

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 relates to a novel silicone rubber syntactic foam and the silicone precursor of said foam.

Disclosed is a method for producing an open cell low-density semi-rigid polyurethane foam suitable for general use as a thermal insulating material and/or acoustical applications. The method comprises producing a flame-retardant open-celled semi-rigid polyurethane foam having an overall density of 5 to 30 kg/m.sup.2 by reacting (a) a polyisocyanate and (b) a polyol having a molecular weight of 100 to 10,000, in the presence of (c) 2,2-bis(chloromethyl)-trimethylene bis(bis(2-chloroethyl)phosphate, (d) blowing agent, and (e) optional additional components.

The present invention relates to an organic aerogel obtained by reacting a thiol compound having a functionality from 2 to 6 and an epoxy compound having a functionality from 2 to 6 in a presence of a solvent. The organic aerogels according to the present invention are hydrophobic, high performance materials (lightweight, with low thermal conductivity, low shrinkage, and high mechanical properties).