Cancarb Technical Bulletin Examines Thermax® in Polystyrene Foam

Cancarb Limited has published a Technical Bulletin that describes the advantages of incorporating Thermax^® Thermal Carbon Black in various formulations of polystyrene (PS) foam. The study documents the dispersion and processing benefits of Thermax^® and uses similar expansion, density, open-cell content, and compression properties as the control. Adding 4 wt.% thermal black resulted in a ~ 3% reduction in thermal conductivity and a ~ 14% reduction in thermal effusivity.

As the Technical Bulletin explains, a masterbatch that contained recycled PS (rPS) and 20 wt.% Thermax^® Thermal Carbon Black was prepared. This was reduced to achieve 2 wt.% and 4 wt.% in different samples of rPS foam. The National Research Council (NRC) of Canada in Boucherville, Quebec, performed the processing and testing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe foam morphology.

Foam densities, open-cell content, compression behavior, and thermal insulation performance were evaluated. The study also examined thermal conductivity, a measure of a material’s ability to conduct heat, and thermal effusivity, a measure of a material’s ability to exchange heat with the surfaces of its immediate surroundings. Thermax^® acts as an infrared radiation absorber, lowering the thermal conductivity of the foam.

To receive the full Technical Bulletin in PDF format, visit this page on Cancarb’s website, choose the Request Access button, and complete the online form.

RDAbbott represents Cancarb products in the United States and Canada and is the exclusive distributor for Thermax^® brand medium thermal carbon black in Mexico. For more information about these functional fillers, contact RDAbbott today.