Thanks to its physical properties, styrofoam is a very good heat and sound insulating material. It consists of beads, and each bead is made of tens of thousands of cells filled with air. The air trapped in the cells cannot move, and, as is well known, still air is the best thermal insulator.
Air makes up at least 98% of the volume of styrofoam. The polystyrene beads are filled with pentane (a pure hydrocarbon), which acts as the blowing agent, and are heated with steam, which turns the pentane into a volatile state and makes it expand. Under pressure, the polystyrene beads expand too, producing the expanded polystyrene beads we all know, which increase the volume of the board by at least 50 times. The cells in each foam bead fill with air and become elastic, then bond together under the action of steam, forming a light, uniform thermal insulation material that resists compression and keeps its dimensions. Almost all of us have come across it at some point, whether in childhood games or in adult life.
Styrofoam is not sensitive to moisture and gives off no hazardous compounds. It belongs to the so-called “monomaterials” (made of a single type of material), which makes it ideal for 100% recycling. In construction, styrofoam is used as thermal insulation in various structures