Water expandable PSeclay nanocomposites were successfully
synthesized via the suspension polymerization of water-in-oil
inverse emulsion. Using water as the carrier, surfactant-free
nanoclay can be incorporated into the polymer beads. The
addition of nanoclay can trap more water in the beads during
synthesis and reduce the water loss during storage.
CO2 foaming of compacted beads offers an alternative
method to utilize in-stock WEPS/WEPSCN products with
reduced water content. The presence of water cavities signifi-cantly enlarges the cell size and leads to foams with ultra-low
density and lower thermal conductivity. More significantly,
PSeclay nanocomposite foams with considerably large cell
size (w100mm) and low foam density (