Design and Fabrication of Polyisocyanurate Foams toward Significantly Enhanced Thermal Resistivity

Wanasinghe, Shiwanka Vidarshi; Demchuk, Zoriana; Tamraparni, Achutha; Tiwari, Janak; Feng, Tianli; Gainaru, Catalin P.; Park, Bo Kyung; Kim, Sungjin; Hun, Diana E.; Saito, Tomonori; Shrestha, Som S.

doi:10.1021/acsaenm.5c00263

Design and Fabrication of Polyisocyanurate Foams toward Significantly Enhanced Thermal Resistivity

Journal Article · Mon Jul 07 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · ACS Applied Engineering Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.5c00263· OSTI ID:3002653

Wanasinghe, Shiwanka Vidarshi ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; Tiwari, Janak ^[2]; Feng, Tianli ^[2]; ^[1]; Park, Bo Kyung ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

Developing high-performance thermal insulation is vital for addressing the ongoing global demand for reduced energy costs. Polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams are commonly used in residential and commercial buildings and in various industrial applications owing to their relatively high thermal insulation properties and fire resistivity. Here, this study aims to further improve the thermal resistivity of PIR foams by (1) incorporating low thermal conductivity blowing agents; (2) tailoring the anisotropy of their cells; (3) tuning polymeric isocyanate quantities; and (4) incorporating a facer barrier, while using steps that easily integrate into current manufacturing processes for PIR foams. The resulting PIR foams exhibit a significant enhancement in thermal resistivity, achieving initial values as high as 8.3 h·ft²·°F/Btu/in., commonly abbreviated as R-8.3/in., which is a 20% improvement compared with that of commercially used PIR foams that achieve approximately R-7/in. The detailed analysis of thermal conductivity measurements, mechanical testing, and morphological characterization elucidates the structure–property relationships. The developed high-performance PIR foams provide a critical pillar for next-generation high-performance insulation, offering promising thermal insulation for buildings and many other applications that have a significant effect on global energy costs.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 3002653

Journal Information:: ACS Applied Engineering Materials, Journal Name: ACS Applied Engineering Materials Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 3; ISSN 2771-9545

Publisher:: ACS PublicationsCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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