Flexible Foams with Improved Thermal Comfort

Title: IN-SITU GELATINOUS TRIBLOCK COPOLYMER ELASTOMERS IN POLYURETHANE FLEXIBLE FOAMS

 Number/Link:US2015/0166756

Applicant/Assignee: Peterson Chemical Technology

Publication date: 18-06-2015

Gist”: Gelatinous styrenic block copolymers are incorporated in flexible foams to increase thermal conductivity.

Why it is interesting: High viscosity styrenic triblock copolymer resins (like SBS, SEBS, SIS etc), plasticized with mineral oils, are added to flexible foam-forming compositions. The heat of the foam-forming reaction is said to be sufficient to further polymerize the resins and melt the styrene-block such that the block copolymers get integrated into the polyurethane matrix. The resulting foams show increased load bearing and improved thermal conductivity. These systems could improve the thermal comfort properties of cushioning materials, especially those of viscoelastic foams.

Poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) or SBS.

Poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) or SBS.

Polyurethanes with Reduced Aldehyde Emissions

Title: POLYURETHANES HAVING REDUCED ALDEHYDE EMISSION

 Number/Link:WO2015/082316 (German)

Applicant/Assignee: BASF

Publication date: 11-06-2015

Gist”: Use of CH-acidic compounds as aldehyde scavengers

Why it is interesting: Reducing VOC emissions, and especially aldehyde emissions, from polyurethane systems remains an important research topic and has been discussed before on this blog (see e.g.  here and here). To reduce aldehyde emissions, scavenger molecules are used which are often amines or hydrazine compounds.  In this invention however the aldehyde scavenger is a CH-acidic compound of the form R-CH2-R’ in which R and R’ are electron-withdrawing groups. The R-groups can be iso-reactive and the molecule can (preferably) contain more than one acidic CH2 group, like e.g. trimethylolpropane triacetoacetate. Other examples are N,N-dimethylacetoacetamide and dimethyl 1,3-acetonedicarboxylate. The compounds are used in an amount of 0.5 to 1 pphp, are said to have advantages over the prior art like less or no catalytic activity and do not lead to extra emissions.

Trimethylolpropane triacetoacetate

Trimethylolpropane triacetoacetate

Six (6) Dow Patents on ‘Conventional’ PIPA Polyols

Title: POLYISOCYANATE POLYADDITION POLYOL MANUFACTURING PROCESS USING STABILIZERS  (and 5 more)

 Number/Link: WO2015038825 WO2015038826 WO2015038827 WO2015038828 WO2015038829 WO2015038830

Applicant/Assignee: Dow

Publication date: 19-03-2015

Gist”: PIPA polyols based on conventional polyols and their applications

Why it is interesting: Polyisocyanate polyaddition or PIPA polyols are a type of polymer polyol consisting of a base polyol and dispersed polyurethane particles. These polyols are prepared by dispersing and reacting in situ an isocyanate and a low molecular weight polyol (e.g. triethanolamine) in a ‘base’ polyol. The reaction is balanced such, that a controlled amount of grafting of the base polyol onto the PU particles results, which stabilizes the dispersion. The need for grafting is the reason why PIPA polyols are always based on EO-tipped (high primary OH) polyols, limiting their use mainly to the production high resilience (HR) foams. The current inventions by Dow devise ways to make PIPA polyols in ‘conventional’ (i.e. low primary OH) polyols either by the use of specific stabilizers (in the WO..25 application) or by pre-reacting part of the iso with the base-polyol before adding the low MW polyol (in the WO..26 application). The WO..27 to WO..29 applications are concerned with the use of these ‘conventional’ PIPA polyols to prepare conventional-, viscoleastic- and combustion modified flexible foams respectively.  W0..30 is concerned with thixotropic PIPA polyols based on urethane-modified isocyanurates.

Flexible foam blocks

Flexible foam blocks

 

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