Partnership for Advancing Technologies in Housing: Microcellular Polymers Processing for Lightweight and Energy Efficient Advanced Panel Systems

住房领域先进技术合作伙伴关系：用于轻质、节能先进面板系统的微孔聚合物加工

• 批准号: 0122055
• 负责人: Vipin Kumar
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-15 至 2004-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0122055&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Partnership; Advancing; Technologies; Housing; Microcellular

PATH: Microcellular Polymers Processing for Lightweight and Energy Efficient Advanced Panel SystemsAbstractThis award supports a PATH research project to explore the manufacture of thick sheets of microcellular polymers for load-bearing applications such as advanced panel systems for house construction. Microcellular Plastics refer to closed-cell thermoplastic foams with a very large number of very small bubbles. Typically, the cells are of order of 10 micrometers in diameter, and there are 108 or more cells per cubic centimeter (cm3) of the foam. The microcellular polymers offer a number of unique advantages for house construction applications. For example, the microcellular structure can reduce the density, leading to a reduction in the weight of the panels. Lighter panels are more cost effective and promote safety during house construction. In addition, reducing material density leads to conservation of natural resources by only using what is truly needed. Further, the microcellular structure can reduce the thermal conductivity and thus improve the energy efficiency of the panel systems. The basic solid-state microcellular process is a two-stage batch process. In the first stage, the polymer is placed in a pressure vessel with a high-pressure and non-reacting gas. This step is usually conducted at room temperature. Over time, the gas diffuses into the polymer, and attains a uniform concentration throughout the polymer specimen. When the specimen is removed from the pressure vessel and brought to the atmospheric pressure, a "supersaturated" specimen that is thermodynamically unstable due to the excessive gas dissolved into the polymer is produced. In the second stage, the specimen is heated to what is termed the foaming temperature. This step is typically carried out in a heated bath with temperature control. The dissolved gas lowers the glass transition temperature of the polymer and the foaming temperature needs only to be above the glass transition temperature of the gas-polymer system in order for the bubbles to nucleate and grow. Since the polymer is still in a solid state, the foams thus produced are called "solid-state foams" to distinguish them from the conventional foams that are produced in an extruder from a polymer melt. The funded research will explore the feasibility of producing thick microcellular specimens using a number of polymers, including PVC, a common plastic used in building materials today; PET, a polymer considered cost-competitive with PVC; and some of the more recently introduced high-strength polymers such as PEEK and PEI. A number of gases will be explored as a physical blowing agent. These gases include carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The research will advance the state-of-the-art of the emerging microcellular polymers technology by adding the new dimension of load-bearing applications. It will also provide an excellent opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to learn and grow in an environment of discovery and scientific understanding.

路径：用于轻质和节能的高级面板系统的微细细胞聚合物处理，该奖项支持了一个路径研究项目，旨在探索用于负载应用的厚厚的微细胞聚合物的厚床单，例如用于房屋建筑的高级面板系统。微细胞塑料是指具有大量非常小气泡的闭合热塑性泡沫。通常，细胞的直径为10微米，每立方厘米（CM3）的泡沫中有108个或更多细胞。微细胞聚合物为房屋建设应用提供了许多独特的优势。例如，微细胞结构可以降低密度，从而减少面板的重量。较轻的面板更具成本效益，并在房屋建设期间提高安全性。此外，仅使用真正需要的东西，降低材料密度会导致自然资源的保护。此外，微细胞结构可以降低导热率，从而提高面板系统的能源效率。基本的固态微细胞过程是两个阶段的批处理过程。在第一阶段，将聚合物放在具有高压和无反应气体的压力容器中。此步骤通常是在室温下进行的。随着时间的流逝，气体会扩散到聚合物中，并在整个聚合物标本中达到均匀的浓度。当样品从压力容器中取出并带到大气压时，由于产生了溶解在聚合物中的过量气体，因此在热力学上不稳定的“过饱和”样品。在第二阶段，标本被加热到所谓的泡沫温度。此步骤通常在温度控制的加热浴中进行。溶解的气体降低了聚合物的玻璃过渡温度，并且泡沫温度只需要高于气体聚合物系统的玻璃过渡温度，以便使气泡成核和生长。由于聚合物仍处于固态状态，因此所产生的泡沫称为“固态泡沫”，以将它们与挤出机中产生的常规泡沫区分开，这些泡沫与聚合物融化。资助的研究将探索使用许多聚合物（包括PVC）生产厚的微细胞标本的可行性，PVC是当今建筑材料中使用的一种常见塑料； PET，一种被认为具有PVC成本竞争力的聚合物；最近一些最近引入了高强度聚合物，例如PEEK和PEI。许多气体将作为物理吹动剂探索。这些气体包括二氧化碳和氮。这项研究将通过添加负载应用的新维度来推动新兴微细胞聚合物技术的最新技术。它还将为本科生和研究生提供一个绝佳的机会，可以在发现和科学理解的环境中学习和成长。