Phenolic materials have the advantages of being lightweight, fireproof, high temperature resistant, corrosion resistant, and environmentally friendly.
Phenolic materials, especially phenolic foam materials, are a kind of high molecular organic rigid foam products, which are foamed from thermosetting phenolic resins. It has the characteristics of being lightweight, fireproof, non-burning when exposed to open flames, smokeless, non-toxic, and dripless. It has a wide range of operating temperatures (-196℃ to +200℃) and will not shrink or become brittle in low temperature environments. This material has a high closed-cell rate, low thermal conductivity, good thermal insulation performance, water resistance, and water vapor permeability, making it an ideal thermal insulation and energy-saving material. Phenolic materials have high dimensional stability, stable chemical composition, and can resist corrosion from organic solutions, strong acids, and weak alkalis. Freon is not used as a foaming agent in the production process, which meets international environmental standards. The gas released during high-temperature decomposition is non-toxic and odorless, harmless to the human body and the environment, and meets the national green environmental protection requirements1.
In addition, phenolic resin has a wide range of application prospects in the aerospace field due to its excellent heat resistance and flame retardant properties, such as being used to manufacture high-temperature resistant parts for aerospace vehicles such as rockets, satellites, and aircraft. In the construction and building materials industry, phenolic resin foaming materials are an ideal thermal insulation material, and with the development of green buildings and energy-saving buildings, the demand is also increasing. In the electronics and electrical industry, phenolic resin is used to manufacture circuit boards, electronic component packaging, electrical insulation materials, etc. With the continuous development of technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, the demand for high-performance materials in this industry is also increasing. In the environmental protection and new energy industries, phenolic resin can be modified by adding bio-based raw materials to prepare new materials with excellent performance and environmental protection characteristics2.
In summary, phenolic materials are regarded as an ideal fireproof, heat-insulating, energy-saving, beautiful and environmentally friendly green insulation material due to their excellent performance and wide application fields. They are known as the "king of insulation materials"12.