Polyol compositions, a process for the production of these polyol compositions, and their use in the production of open celled polyurethane foams having high airflow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11028218-B2
Application number	US-201815919497-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	May 20, 2015
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

This invention relates to a novel polyol composition and a process for preparing these polyol compositions. These novel polyol compositions comprise (a) an in-situ formed polyol blend which comprises (i) one or more polyether monols and (ii) one or more polyether polyols; and (b) a polyether polyol. This invention also relates to a process for preparing an open celled, flexible polyurethane foam in which the isocyanate-reactive component comprises this novel polyol composition, and to a viscoelastic polyurethane foam wherein the isocyanate-reactive comprise the novel polyol composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for the production of an open celled, flexible polyurethane foam comprising
(I) preparing an isocyanate-reactive component comprising (a) an in-situ formed polyol blend having an overall hydroxyl number of from about 56 to about 250, and an average functionality greater than 2, and preparing said in-situ formed polyol blend by
A) introducing into a reaction vessel a mixture comprising:
(1) an initial starter (Si) comprising one or more monofunctional compounds having a hydroxyl number of less than about 56 and containing less than 20% by weight of copolymerized oxyethylene, based on 100% by weight of said one or more monofunctional compounds,
and
(2) a double metal cyanide (DMc) catalyst,

B) feeding
(1) an epoxide component comprising propylene oxide and ethylene oxide in a weight ratio of from 100:0 to 20:80,
into the reaction vessel;

C) allowing said epoxide component and the initial starter (Si) to react and continue to polymerize by feeding said epoxide component until the equivalent weight of said one or more monofunctional compound is increased by at least 10% by weight and reaches a value between about 1,500 and about 6,000;
D) continuously adding
(1) one or more low molecular weight starters (Sc) having a functionality of greater than 2 to about 6 and an equivalent weight of about 28 to about 400
into the reaction vessel while continuing to feed said epoxide component;

E) completing addition of the continuous starter (Sc);
and
F) allowing the mixture to continue to polymerize in the reaction vessel until said in-situ formed polyol blend has an overall hydroxyl number of from about 56 to about 250, an average functionality of greater than 2, and comprises
(1) one or more polyether monols having a hydroxyl number of less than 56, and containing less than 20% by weight of copolymerized oxyethylene, based on 100% by weight of F)(1);
and
(2) one or more polyether polyols having a hydroxyl number of about 47 to about 300, an average functionality of greater than 2 to about 6, and containing from about 5 to about 45% by weight of copolymerized oxyethylene, based on 100% by weight of F)(2);
wherein F)(1) and F)(2) are each present in the in-situ formed polyol blend in an amount of from about 25 to 75% by weight, with the combined weight of F)(1) and F)(2) totaling 100% by weight of said in-situ formed polyol blend;

(II) forming a polyol composition by blending or mixing (a) said in-situ formed polyol blend, with
(b) one or more polyether polyols having a functionality of 2 to 8, a hydroxyl number of 20 to 240 and comprising at least 50% of copolymerized oxyethylene, based on 100% by weight of component (b);

wherein (a) said in-situ formed polyol blend is provided in an amount of from 20 to 98% by weight, and (b) said one or more polyether polyols is provided in an amount of from 2 to 80% by weight;
(III) reacting an isocyanate-functional component with said polyol composition which comprises (a) said in-situ formed polyol blend, in the presence of a blowing agent, a catalyst, and a surfactant, wherein the isocyanate-functional component and the polyol composition are reacted at an isocyanate index of 85 to 120.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein (a) said in-situ formed polyol blend is additionally mixed with at least one of
(c) one or more polyether polyols, which are different from (F)(2), having a functionality of from about 2 to about 8, a hydroxyl number of from about 10 to about 300, and comprising from 0 to about 45% by weight of copolymerized oxyethylene, based on 100% by weight of component (c);
and
(d) one or more polymer polyols.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein (F)(2) comprises at least one polyether diol and at least one polyether triol.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein (F)(1) said one or more polyether monols have a hydroxyl number of less than 28; (F)(2) said one more polyether polyols have a hydroxyl number of about 70 to about 240, and a functionality of about 2.5 to about 3.5; and (b) said one or more polyether polyols have a hydroxyl number of at least about 30 to about 170 mg KOH/g and a functionality of at least about 2.5 to 6.

5. The process of claim 2 , wherein (c) said one more polyether polyols have a hydroxyl number of from least about 20 to about 150 mg KOH/g and a functionality of from at least about 2.5 to about 6; and (d) said one more polymer polyols comprise at least one of (d)(i) polymer polyols containing styrene-acrylonitrile solids, (d)(ii) polyisocyanate polyaddition polyols, (d)(iii) polyhydrazodicarbonamide polyols, and (d)(iv) mixtures thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein said blowing agent comprises water.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein said isocyanate-functional component and said polyol composition are reacted in the presence of one or more crosslinkers and/or foam stabilizers.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the resultant open celled, flexible polyurethane foam has an air flow of greater than 0.085 m 3 /min and a recovery time of less than 15 seconds.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein said catalyst comprises a non-fugitive amine catalyst.

Assignees

• Covestro Llc

Inventors

• Mcvey Susan B
• Gower Jr William C
• Hager Stanley L
• Moore Micah N
• Reese Jack R

Classifications

• C08G18/4837

  and other oxyalkylene units · CPC title

• C08G18/7664

  containing alkylene polyphenyl groups · CPC title

• C08G18/4072

  Mixtures of compounds of group C08G18/63 with other macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• C08G2110/0083

  prepared using water as the sole blowing agent · CPC title

• C08G65/2696

  characterised by the process or apparatus used · CPC title