Freeze Drying

 

Also called lyophilization, the freeze dyring process rids a solid sample of any solvent it may contain. Freeze drying lowers pressure and elevates temperature in order to sublime a frozen solvent. Benefits of this method include the ability to re-collect sublimed solvent using a condenser (environmentally friendly!) as well as the sample structure keeping its shape (rather than shrinking) as the solvent is removed.

 

AeroClay Technology

 

AeroClay technology provides a new perspective on designing  and manufacturing foam. Instead of using traditional melt-extrusion and blowing agents to create the foam structures,  AeroClay  technology   makes polymer/clay “smoothies” first, and then forms the foam pores via freezing process (ice templating), followed by a freeze-drying process (ice sublimation) to remove all the solvent. 

 

This process creates an open-cell polymer/clay foam, which recycles all the solvent each time. In this process, clay provides the skeletal structure of foam and improves the mechanical performance and flame resistance of the products in which it is used.

 

Advantages of AeroClay Technology 

 

1.   Cost-effective

• No expensive blowing agent, as used to create traditional foam

• Zero-waste process means you don't pay to dispose of materials

2.   Environmentally friendly

• No hazardous emissions from blowing agent

• Free of known or suspected carcinogens and toxic gases

• All materials used in process become product or are reused, so nothing ends up in the landfill