Ever since the first homes were built, people have been trying to find insulation materials that would keep them warm in winter and cool in summer. Just about everything has been tried — seaweed, sod, asbestos, tar paper, rolled up newspapers, urea foam, and pink fiberglass batting from Owens Corning. A March 23 press release from Oak Ridge National Laboratory says rigid polystyrene panels are a popular choice, but come with environmental drawbacks. It says the blowing agents used in foam production, such as hydrocarbons and hydrofluoro-olefins, wind up in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.

Scientists at ORNL say they have developed a competitive, eco-friendly alternative insulation made without harmful blowing agents. The nontoxic thermoplastic foam is made using hollow glass spheres and expandable polymer microspheres. “The combination of these two sources allows us to tailor formulations to maintain the material’s thermal performance across a limited range of densities,” says ORNL’s Meghan Lamm. “We are also working with thermoset materials, which offer high temperature stability for improved flame resistance.”

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