High strength polyurethane foam compositions and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9512259-B2
Application number	US-201314440903-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2013
Priority date	Nov 7, 2012
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed are high strength polyurethane foam compositions and methods of making them. In one aspect, the inventive polyurethane foams include strength enhancing additives comprising one or more polycarbonate polyols derived from the copolymerization of CO 2 and one or more epoxides. In one aspect, the inventive methods include the step of substituting a portion of the polyether polyol in the B-side of a foam formulation with one or more polycarbonate polyols derived from the copolymerization of CO 2 and one or more epoxides.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for increasing the load bearing properties of a polyurethane foam composition, the foam composition comprising the reaction product of a polyol component and a polyisocyanate component, the method comprising the step of incorporating into the polyol component a polycarbonate polyol derived from the copolymerization of one or more epoxides and carbon dioxide, wherein the polycarbonate polyol is added in a quantity from about 2 weight percent to about 50 weight percent, from about 5 weight percent to about 25 weight percent, from about 2 weight percent to about 10 weight percent, from about 10 weight percent to about 20 weight percent, from about 20 weight percent to about 30 weight percent, or from about 30 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of all polyols present in the polyol component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polyol component comprises one or more polyols selected from the group consisting of polyether polyols, polyester polyols, aliphatic polyols, and mixtures of any two or more of these.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a compression force deflection (CFD) value measured according to ASTM D3574 of the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol is greater than the CFD value of the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the CFD value of the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol is at least 10%, at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40% or at least 50% greater than the CFD value of the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the CFD values are normalized for density of the foam compositions being compared.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the foam compositions are formulated such that the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol and the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol have the same density.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the foam composition comprises flexible polyurethane foam, or wherein the foam composition comprises viscoelastic polyurethane foam, or wherein the foam composition comprises rigid polyurethane foam.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the density measured according to ASTM D3574 of the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol is less than the density of the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol, and wherein a compression force deflection (CFD) value measured according to ASTM D3574 of the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol is greater than the CFD value of the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the density of the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol is at least 10%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30%, at least 40% or at least 50% less than the density of the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the CFD value of the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol is at least 10%, at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40% or at least 50% greater than the CFD value of the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polycarbonate polyol contains a primary repeating unit having a structure:

where R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are, at each occurrence in the polymer chain, independently selected from the group consisting of —H, fluorine, an optionally substituted C 1-40 aliphatic group, an optionally substituted C 1-20 heteroaliphatic group, and an optionally substituted aryl group, where any two or more of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 may optionally be taken together with intervening atoms to form one or more optionally substituted rings optionally containing one or more heteroatoms.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polycarbonate polyol is characterized in that it has an Mn between about 500 g/mol and about 20,000 g/mol, between about 1,000 g/mol and about 5,000 g/mol, between about 1,000 g/mol and about 3,000 g/mol, or between about 1,000 g/mol and about 3,000 g/mol, or an Mn of about 1,000 g/mol, about 1,200 g/mol, about 1,500 g/mol, about 2,000 g/mol, about 2,500 g/mol or about 3,000 g/mol.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the aliphatic polycarbonate polyol is characterized in that more than 98%, more than 99%, or more than 99.5% of the chain ends are groups reactive toward isocyanate.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the chain ends reactive toward isocyanate comprise —OH groups.

15. A polyurethane foam composition comprising the reaction product of a polyol component and a polyisocyanate component, wherein the polyol component comprises a polycarbonate polyol derived from the copolymerization of one or more epoxides and carbon dioxide, wherein the polycarbonate polyol is present in a quantity from about 2 weight percent to about 50 weight percent, from about 5 weight percent to about 25 weight percent, from about 2 weight percent to about 10 weight percent, from about 10 weight percent to about 20 weight percent, from about 20 weight percent to about 30 weight percent, or from about 30 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of all polyols present in the polyol component and characterized in that a compression force deflection (CFD) value measured according to ASTM D3574 of the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol is greater than the CFD value of a corresponding foam composition lacking the polycarbonate polyol.

16. The polyurethane foam composition of claim 15 , wherein the polyol component comprises one or more polyols selected from the group consisting of polyether polyols, polyester polyols, aliphatic polyols, and mixtures of any two or more of these.

17. The polyurethane foam composition of claim 15 , wherein the CFD value of the foam composition comprising the polycarbonate polyol is at least 10%, at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40% or at least 50% greater than the CFD value of the corresponding foam composition lacking the polycarbonate polyol.

18. The polyurethane foam composition of claim 17 , wherein the CFD values are normalized for density of the foam compositions being compared.

19. The polyurethane foam composition of claim 17 , wherein the foam composition is formulated such that the foam composition comprising the added polycarbonate polyol and the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycarbonate polyol have the same density.

20. The polyurethane foam composition of claim 15 , wherein the foam composition comprises flexible polyurethane foam or wherein the foam composition comprises viscoelastic polyurethane foam, or wherein the foam composition comprises rigid polyurethane foam.

21. The polyurethane foam composition of claim 15 , wherein the density measured according to ASTM D3574 of the foam composition comprising the polycarbonate polyol is less than the density of the corresponding foam composition lacking the polycarbonate polyol.

22. The polyurethane foam composition of claim 21 , wherein the density of the foam comprising the polycarbonate polyol is at least 10%, at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40% or at least 50% less than the density of the corresponding foam composition lacking the added polycar

Assignees

• Novomer Inc

Inventors

• Allen Scott D
• Sendijarevic Vahid
• Sendijarevic Aisa

Classifications

• C08G18/7671

  containing only one alkylene bisphenyl group · CPC title

• C08G18/7664

  containing alkylene polyphenyl groups · CPC title

• C08G18/4009

  Two or more macromolecular compounds not provided for in one single group of groups C08G18/42 - C08G18/64 · CPC title

• C08G18/4018

  Mixtures of compounds of group C08G18/42 with compounds of group C08G18/48 · CPC title

• C08G18/3275

  containing two hydroxy groups · CPC title