Patent ID: 7402542

Claim:
A structural material comprising a polystyrene base, and a dried aqueous slurry chemically attached to said polystyrene base, wherein said aqueous slurry prior to drying and chemically reacting with said polystyrene base comprises a) solid phosphate ceramic composite comprising the reaction product of one or more of a metal oxide, a metal hydroxide, a metal carbonate or mixtures thereof with a source of phosphate, b) at least one acrylic polymer selected from poly (acrylic acid), polyacrylates, salts thereof or a mixture thereof, and c) at least one of polystyrene or excess MgO, wherein said aqueous slurry is applied to said polystyrene base and allowed to cure, whereby at least one of the components of said aqueous slurry or their reaction products are chemically reacted with said polystyrene base, thus forming a chemical bond with said polystyrene base.