The authors describe a synthesis method for a series of pulverized expandable graphite (pEG)/melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin core-shell structure particles. The particles are also added into rigid polyurethane foams (RPUF) to characterize the flame-retardant, mechanical, and thermal insulation properties of the RPUF/pEG-MF composites. It was found that the pEG/MF particles showed good flame-retardant performance in the composites by providing a physical barrier effect....
The fatty acid stearic acid has been widely studied for its use in thermal energy storage applications as a phase change material (PCM). Stearic acid shows promise for this application because of its high volumetric storage density and its favorable thermal properties; however, two properties of stearic acid limit its use as a PCM: its low thermal conductivity and its propensity to leak liquid during the phase change process. This ...
Monolithic silica aerogels were synthesized with very low thermal conductivity (0.036 W/mK) and high porosity (97%) via ambient pressure drying. This method of drying replaces supercritical drying which is more costly and dangerous. The aerogel was derived from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and treatment with trimethylchlorosilane. NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy were used for characterization of surface bonding and contact angles. Using the multiple surface modification (MSM) method allowed the authors to generate an ...
