Title: GRAFT POLYOL AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME

 Number/Link: WO2013/039907

Applicant/Assignee: BASF

Publication date: 21-03-2013

“Gist”: Castor oil containing up to about 60% w/w modified SAN particles.

Why it is interesting: Castor oil is the only (commonly) occuring natural oil polyol (NOP).  Other natural oils need modifications which introduce isocyanate-reactive groups,  increasing their viscosity and therefore making them less useful to turn into “grafted” or polymer polyols.  In this invention styrene and acrylonitrile are copolymerised in castor oil together with a chain transfer agent and an ethylenically unsaturated ‘macromer polyol’. The macromer polyol is preferably a sorbitol-started EO/PO polyol with a molecular weight of about 6000 which is subsequently reacted with an unsaturated alifatic isocyanate. The macromer polyol sterically stabilizes the SAN particles and allows for high solid contents (up to 60% in the examples) at a reasonable viscosity. Polymer polyols are especially useful in flexible foam formulations.

Main Component of Castor Oil