Hollow graphenic microspheres as a high-performance insulation filler
Introducing hollow graphenic microspheres, a novel low-density, high-strength filler for enhancing thermal insulation in foams. Suitable for use in thermosetting polymers like PIR, these microspheres improve thermal and fire resistance while reducing material density.
Overview
Hollow graphenic microspheres represent a breakthrough in thermal insulation technology, offering a low-density yet high-strength solution for enhancing foam materials. Specifically designed for thermosetting polymers such as polyisocyanurate (PIR), these microspheres serve as a reinforcing microfiller that significantly reduces material density. At an 80 vol% loading, they transform PIR foam into a hierarchically porous syntactic foam with superior thermal resistance and fire protection compared to unfilled PIR. Their mechanical reinforcement capabilities even allow for further density reductions, optimizing insulation performance.
Technical specifications
Key Features:
- Low Density: Specific gravity ranging from 0.005 to 0.025.
- High-Strength Insulation: Improves thermal and fire resistance in PIR foams.
- Innovative Synthesis: Utilizes a unique method of growing and aligning graphene on hollow-spherical templates, avoiding the need for lyophilization.
- Cost-Effective Manufacturing: Manufactured from a single non-recycled hydrocarbon feedstock, promising lower costs than commodity polymers.
Applications:
- Ideal for use in construction insulation materials where enhanced thermal resistance and reduced weight are critical.
Technology readiness level
Currently at Technology Readiness Level 2, this solution is in the early stages of experimental proof of concept. Ongoing validation includes fabricating samples for testing and refining filler morphology and surface chemistry. Prototype materials are being prepared for further testing and potential commercial scaling.
About Dickinson Corporation
Dickinson Corporation is a private materials laboratory based in the San Francisco Bay Area that focuses on the development of a new category of ultralight, high-strength metamaterials. The company uses atomically thin base materials like graphene to construct architected, 3D graphenic networks. By using a proprietary synthesis platform that involves growing, aligning, and inducing the homopolymerization of polycyclic aromatic monomers onto porous, recyclable templates, Dickinson creates microfillers, such as graphene microfibers and microspheres, with controllable mechanical properties and polycyclic backbones. These architected graphene materials are designed to provide scalable mechanical capabilities, including lightweighting, reinforcement, and energy absorption, across microscopic and macroscopic volumes.
Dickinson’s work is intended for global manufacturers looking to incorporate advanced next-generation additives into their products and systems. The company collaborates with industry partners to demonstrate the application of its materials in various sectors as alternatives to conventional nanocarbons, hollow ceramic microspheres, and mineral fillers. Funded by impact-oriented family office investors, the laboratory conducts basic research, application development, and pilot-scale process development at its facility in Novato, California. The company has developed an extensive global patent portfolio to support the commercialization of its metamaterial technology.
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