Nanoporous Polymer Foam - Highly Insulative - Versatile in Application

Sumfoam is the first foamed polymer material with a homogeneous nanostructure, which can be produced under industrial conditions. The diameter of the foam pores is in the submicron range and the foam consists of more than 90 % air. The significant effect of nanofoam as an insulating material is based on the fact that reducing the pore size of a foam into the nanometer range leads to a significant reduction in thermal conductivity and thus to an improvement in insulating properties. This is known as the Knudsen effect. It states that below a pore size of about 70 nanometers, air molecules collide more frequently with the bars between the cells than with other air molecules, so that a directed heat flow is no longer possible.

Sumfoam's unique ultra-fine pore structure allows the foam granules to be ground into coarse flakes, but also down to a fine foam powder while maintaining full performance. Due to these different appearances, the polymer foam offers flexible application possibilities. Flakes and powder are suitable for double-walled vessels such as thermos flasks or coolers. The enormous insulating capacity is particularly suitable for the insulation of liquid gas tanks on ships and trucks. The powder can be used alone in paste form as a coating or for filling insulation gaps.

The foam can also be used as an additive in coatings to significantly improve insulation performance. Panels are another Sumfoam application. The class of materials can be processed into stable and highly insulating panels and shaped parts. A special property of Sumfoam is its hydrophobicity. In combination with the strong capillary forces resulting from the nanostructure, the foam absorbs non-polar liquids like a sponge and binds them firmly. Thus, in all its appearances, the foam can also absorb phase change materials (PCM) to make them available in dry form for technical use.