10-10/11 :: October/November 2010

nanotimes Companies

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German Bayer MaterialScience is working on the development of polyurethane nanofoams that could lead to a quantum leap in thermal insulation performance seve- ral years down the road.

The Company is focusing its efforts on microemulsi- ons, which react under supercritical conditions (Princi- ple of Supercritical

Microemulsion Expansion, POSME) to form polyurethane rigid foams. The aim is to produce rigid foams with pore sizes of less than 150nm in diameter. Nanofoams of this kind achieve twice the thermal insulation performance of today‘s polyurethane foams, meaning that they could, for example, significantly reduce the energy consumption of refrigeration appliances and, in turn, make a major contribution to reducing CO2

emissions. © Bayer MaterialScience

Wolfgang Friederichs, head of Global Product Research at Bayer MaterialScience. “It is likely to take several more years before these challenges are overcome.”

http://www.bayermaterialscience.com