Patent ID: 8664285

Claim:
A composite material comprising (i) a nanoporous polymer foam obtained by reacting one or more epoxy resins with one or more amphiphilic epoxy resin hardeners in water in a phase inversion polymerization, and (ii) one or more inorganic fillers selected from the group consisting of a mineral foam, clay mineral, glass granules (perlite), carbon nanotubes, silicic acid, silica and zeolite, and combinations thereof, and/or inorganic fibers selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, sepiolite, wollastonite, and combinations thereof, with the proviso that hollow glass beads are excluded as fillers; wherein the one or more amphiphilic epoxy resin hardeners are obtained by reacting a mixture comprising: (A) at least one epoxidized polyalkylene oxide selected from the group consisting of epoxidized polyethylene oxides, epoxidized polypropylene oxides, and epoxidized polyethylene-propylene oxides, (B) at least one epoxidized aromatic hydroxyl compound selected from the group consisting of bisphenol A epoxides and bisphenol F epoxides and (C) at least one aromatic hydroxyl compound selected from the group consisting of bisphenol A and bisphenol F to form an intermediate and subsequently reacting this intermediate with a polyamine (P) wherein the composite material is effective to provide thermal insulating properties.