Patent ID: 8916638

Claim:
A packaging material, consisting of: a freeze-dried clay aerogel polymer composite, consisting of: a clay comprising at least one of a layered clay and a smectic clay; at least one (co)polymer chosen from a polyelectrolyte polymer having more than one carboxylic acid, a water dispersible protein, a (co)polymer derived from a dicarboxylic acid monomer, a (co)polymer derived from a difunctional monomer having one carboxylic acid, a (co)polymer derived from a monomer having at least one epoxy group, and a cellulosic polymer modified to include a polyfunctional monomer; a binder component comprising at least one of polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene imine; and optionally one or more of an initiator and a crosslinker, wherein the clay is present in an amount from about 1 to about 99 parts per 100 parts by weight of the composite, wherein the (co)polymer is present in an amount from about 1 to about 99 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the composite, wherein the binder component is present in an amount from about 0.1 to about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the composite, and wherein density of the composite is less than 1.0 g/cm 3 , and wherein the clay, the at least one (co)polymer, the binder component, the optional initiator, and the optional crosslinker are subjected to freeze-drying to produce the freeze-dried clay aerogel polymer composite, wherein the packaging material is a plurality of free-flowing freeze-dried clay aerogel polymer composite particles, each particle having a substantially cylindrical shape and being configured to cushion a packaged article, and wherein the composite is a clay aerogel polymer ceramic composite.