Surfactants for polyurethane foams

• US 10,457,770 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Xiong, Jiawen, Li, Dachao, Zhang, Jianxin, Guo, David Hong-fei, Wang, Beilei, Liu, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Rioja, Melissa A
• Application Number:
  US15/533,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20170320999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/14 Manufacture of cellular products
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/1808 having alkylene polyamine groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/1816 having carbocyclic groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/2036 having at least three nitrogen atoms in the ring
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4816 mixtures of two or more polyetherpolyols having at least three hydroxy groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4829 Polyethers containing at least three hydroxy groups C08G18/4833 - C08G18/5096 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/714 containing nitrogen in addition to isocyanate or isothiocyanate nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/7664 containing alkylene polyphenyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/773 halogens
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/78 Nitrogen C08G18/775, C08G18/776 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/8087 containing halogen atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2110/0025 rigid
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2203/06 CO2, N2 or noble gases
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2203/08 Supercritical fluid
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2205/044 Micropores, i.e. average diameter being between 0,1 micrometer and 0,1 millimeter
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2205/05 Open cells, i.e. more than 50% of the pores are open
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2205/10 Rigid foams
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2375/08 from polyethers
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/0019 halogenated
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/122 Hydrogen, oxygen, CO2, nitrogen or noble gases

Abstract

A surfactant and a method of forming the surfactant having the formula (I) where a is an integer from 1 to 10, b is an integer from 0 to 10, R₁ is —CH₃ or —H, n is an integer from 0 to 20, and R₂ is a moiety selected from the group consisting of (II), (III), (IV), (V), (VI), (VII) or (VIII) where m is an integer from 0 to 4. The surfactant can be used in a method for preparing a rigid polyurethane foam.

Claims

1. A surfactant having the formula:

2. The surfactant of claim 1, wherein the formula is:

3. The surfactant of claim 1, where the formula is:

4. The surfactant of claim 1, where a is an integer from 5 to 7, b is an integer from 2 to 10 and R₁ is —

H.

5. The surfactant of claim 4, where a is 7.

6. The surfactant of claim 1, wherein based on the total weight of the surfactant, the surfactant has 0.1 weight percent (wt. %) to 50 wt. % fluorine (F) and 3 wt. % to 25 wt. % isocyanate.

7. A method for preparing a rigid polyurethane foam, comprising:

using carbon dioxide to provide a pressure at a first predetermined value on a polyol mixture that includes a polyol, a catalyst and a surfactant a provided in claim 1;

maintaining the pressure at the first predetermined value for a first predetermined time;

mixing an isocyanate with the polyol mixture to form a polyurethane reaction mixture;

optionally maintaining the pressure on the polyurethane reaction mixture at the first predetermined value for a second predetermined time;

increasing the pressure on the polyurethane reaction mixture from the first predetermined value to a second predetermined value greater than the first predetermined value; and

releasing the polyurethane reaction mixture at a predetermined depressurization rate from the pressure after a third predetermined time to prepare the rigid polyurethane foam, where the third predetermined time is less than 30 minutes.