Thermal conductivity of hygroscopic foams based on cellulose nanofibrils and a nonionic polyoxamer

Nanocellulose-based lightweight foams are promising alternatives to fossil-based insulation materials for energy-efficient buildings. The properties of cellulose-based materials are strongly influenced by moisture and there is a need to assess and better understand how the thermal conductivity of nanocellulose-based foams depends on the relative humidity and temperature. Here, we report a customized setup for measuring the thermal conductivity of hydrophilic materials under controlled temperature and relative humidity conditions. The thermal conductivity of isotropic foams based on cellulose nanofibrils and a nonionic polyoxamer, and an expanded polystyrene foam was measured over a wide range of temperatures and relative humidity. We show that a previously developed model is unable to capture the strong relative humidity dependence of the thermal conductivity of the hygroscopic, low-density nanocellulose- and nonionic polyoxamer-based foam. Analysis of the moisture uptake and moisture transport was used to develop an empirical model that takes into consideration the moisture content and the wet density of the investigated foam. The new empirical model could predict the thermal conductivity of a foam with a similar composition but almost 3 times higher density. Accurate measurements of the thermal conductivity at controlled temperature and relative humidity and availability of simple models to better predict the thermal conductivity of hygroscopic, low-density foams are necessary for the development of nanocellulose-based insulation materials.