NON ISOCYANATE POLYURETHANE FOAMS

• US 20170218124A1
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faurecia Interieur Industrie (Stellantis NV), Faurecia Sieges D'Automobile (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Faurecia Interieur Industrie (Stellantis NV), Faurecia Sieges D'Automobile (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: LAUTH, Marc, MLHAUPT, Rolf, BLATTMANN, Hannes
• Granted Patent: US 10,450,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 317/36 Alkylene carbonates; Substituted alkylene carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2110/0008 flexible
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2110/005 < 50kg/m3
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 71/04 Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2203/142 Halogenated saturated hydrocarbons, e.g. H3C-CF3
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2205/044 Micropores, i.e. average diameter being between 0,1 micrometer and 0,1 millimeter
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2205/06 Flexible foams
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2375/04 Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/146 only fluorine as halogen atoms

Abstract

A curable isocyanate free formulation for preparing a polyurethane foam. The formulation includes a compound A chosen from multifunctional cyclic carbonates of a formula (I) or a mixture thereof, a compound B chosen from multifunctional cyclic carbonates containing oxyalkylene groups —OR3- of a formula (II) or a mixture thereof, a compound C chosen from multifunctional amines of a formula (III) or a mixture thereof and a compound D chosen from non-reactive blowing agents, as well as a process for preparing a non-isocyanate polyurethane foam, a foam obtainable by this process, compound B, a mixture of compounds A and B, the use of compound B for enhancing the solubility of a non-reactive blowing agent in a compound A and a foamable system having a first part A containing compound A and compound B and a second part B containing compound C, wherein part A and part B are preferably physically separated.

Claims

1. A curable isocyanate free formulation for preparing a polyurethane foam comprising the following compounds:

Compound A chosen from multifunctional cyclic carbonates of formula (I) or a mixture thereof;

2. The curable isocyanate free formulation according to claim 1, wherein R¹ and R^1′

, identical or different, are a linear or branched hydrocarbon chain having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, more particularly from 3 to 6 carbon atoms.

3. The curable isocyanate free formulation according to claim 1, wherein i and i′

, identical or different, are integers from 2 to 6, more particularly from 2 to 3.

4. The curable isocyanate free formulation according to claim 1, wherein:

Compound A is chosen from a compound of formula (Ia);

5. The curable isocyanate free formulation according to claim 4, wherein:

Compound A is chosen from compounds of formula (Ia) or a mixture thereof and

Compound B is chosen from compounds of formula (IIa) or a mixture thereof wherein q=2 and n, m, p are 6 or 7.

6. The curable isocyanate free formulation according to claim 1, wherein the Compound C is chosen from diamines, in particular linear aliphatic diamines, such as 1,2-diamonethane, 1,3-diaminopropane, butane-1,4-diamine, pentane-1,5-diamine, 1,6-diaminohexane, or 1,12 diaminododecane, or cyclic aliphatic diamines, such as isophorondiamine, triamines, or any other polyamines, such as polyethylene imine or dimeric fatty acid diamines.

7. The curable isocyanate free formulation according to claim 1, wherein compound D is chosen from liquids which boiling point is below 100°

C., or hydrocarbons such as n-pentane, isopentane and/or cyclopentane, ethers, halogenated hydrocarbons, nitriles, such as 2,2′

-azobisisobutyronitrile, nitrogen or carbon dioxide, or mixtures thereof.

8. The curable isocyanate free formulation according to claim 1, further comprising a catalyst as compound E, wherein said catalyst is chosen from amine catalysts, such as 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene, trimethylhydroxyethyl ethylene diamine, trimethylaminopropylethanolamine, dimethylethanolamine, bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl) ether, triethylenediamine, dimethylaminocyclohexane, N-methyl morpholine, or organometallic catalysts such as stannous octoate, lead octoate, dibutyltin dilaurate, potassium acetate or potassium ethyl-hexoate, or mixtures thereof.

9. A process for preparing a flexible non-isocyanate polyurethane foam comprising the steps of:

reacting compounds A and B with compound C in the presence of compound D and compound E so as to form an expanded reaction mixture,

curing said expanded reaction mixture so as to form a flexible non-isocyanate polyurethane foam,

wherein compounds A, B and C are as defined in claim 1.

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein:

compounds A and B are first mixed with compound E and compound C, so as to form a reaction mixture and start the polymerization of said reaction mixture,

then compound D is added to this reaction mixture, preferably by maintaining the temperature of the reaction mixture in the range of 20-25°

C.

11. A flexible non-isocyanate polyurethane foam obtainable by the process according to claim 9.

12. The flexible non-isocyanate polyurethane foam according to claim 11, further characterized by having an apparent density of less than 160 kg/m³.

13. The flexible isocyanate-free polyurethane foam according to claim 11, further characterized by having a resilience from 65% to 80%.

14. A compound B chosen from multifunctional cyclic carbonate containing oxyalkylene groups —

OR³—

of formula (II) or a mixture thereof;

16. A method for enhancing the solubility of a non-reactive blowing agent in a compound A, wherein said method comprises the step of mixing compound B of claim 14 with compound A so as to form a polymeric blend and then mixing said non-reactive blowing agent with said polymeric blend,

wherein compound A is chosen from multifunctional cyclic carbonates of formula (I) or a mixture thereof:

15. A compound B chosen from alcoxylated trimethylolpropaneglycidylether carbonates of formula (IIa) or a mixture thereof

17. A carbonate mixture comprising:

Compound A chosen from multifunctional cyclic carbonates of formula (I) or a mixture thereof;

18. The carbonate mixture of claim 17, wherein:

Compound A is chosen from a trimethylolpropaneglycidylether carbonate of formula (Ia);

20. The foamable system according to claim 18, further comprising a catalyst as compound E either in part A or in part B, or in a third part C preferably physically separated from part A and part B.

21. The foamable system according to claim 18, further comprising a non-reactive blowing agent as compound D either in part A, in part B or in third part C, or in a fourth part D preferably physically separated from part A, part B and part C.

19. A foamable system comprising:

a first part A containing;

Compound A which is chosen from multifunctional cyclic carbonates of formula (I) or a mixture thereof;