POLYOL BLENDS USEFUL FOR PRODUCING VISCOELASTIC FOAM

• US 20190330406A1
• Filed: 12/19/2017
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahmadloo, Hamideh, Cookson, Paul, Borella, Ricco B., Masy, Jean-Paul, Porcelli, Lucie, Casati, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 11,124,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/14 Manufacture of cellular products
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4812 Mixtures of polyetherdiols with polyetherpolyols having at least three hydroxy groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/4845 containing oxypropylene or higher oxyalkylene end groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/485 containing mixed oxyethylene-oxypropylene or oxyethylene-higher oxyalkylene end groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/7621 being toluene diisocyanate including isomer mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2110/0008 flexible
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2110/0041 having specified density
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2110/005 < 50kg/m3
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2110/0083 prepared using water as the sole blowing agent
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/2609 containing aliphatic hydroxyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 71/02 Polyalkylene oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 83/04 Polysiloxanes

Abstract

A polyol composition is made by polymerizing a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide onto a mixture of at least one diol initiator and at least one triol initiator, followed by polymerizing 100% propylene oxide or a mixture of at least 90 weight percent propylene oxide and at most 10 weight percent ethylene oxide. The resulting polyol composition has a hydroxyl equivalent weight of 200 to 400 and an average nominal functionality of 2.05 to 2.95 hydroxyl groups/molecule. 5 to 30 percent of the hydroxyl groups of the coinitiated polyether polyol are primary hydroxyl groups and polymerized ethylene oxide constitutes 40 to 63 percent of the total weight of the coinitiated polyether polyol.

Claims

1. A polyol composition comprising A) at least one difunctional polyether having a hydroxyl equivalent weight of 200 to 400 and B) at least one trifunctional polyether having a hydroxyl equivalent weight of 200 to 400, the at least one difunctional polyether and at least one trifunctional polyether each including a) the residue, after removal of hydroxyl hydrogen atoms, of a starter, b) oxypropylene units and c) oxyethylene units, wherein components A) and B) together have an average nominal functionality of 2.05 to 2.95, the combined weight of the oxyethylene units of components A) and B) constitutes 40 to 63% of the combined weight of components A) and B), the combined weight of the residues of the starters, oxypropylene units and oxyethylene units of components A) and B) constitute at least 90% of the combined weight of components A) and B), and 5 to 30 percent of the total number of hydroxyl groups of components A) and B) are primary hydroxyl groups.

2. The polyol composition of claim 1 wherein the combined weight of the oxyethylene units of components A) and B) constitutes 48 to 60% of the combined weight of components A) and B).

3. The polyol composition of claim 1 wherein the combined weight of the oxyethylene units of components A) and B) constitutes 52 to 60% of the combined weight of components A) and B).

4. The polyol composition of claim 3 wherein 13 to 25 percent of the total number of hydroxyl groups of components A) and B) are primary hydroxyl groups.

5. The polyol composition of claim 3 wherein 16 to 20 percent of the total number of hydroxyl groups of components A) and B) are primary hydroxyl groups.

6. The polyol composition of claim 3 wherein components A) and B) have an average nominal functionality of 2.3 to 2.7.

13. A viscoelastic foam made by reacting a polyisocyanate at an isocyanate index of at least 70 with a mixture of isocyanate-reactive compounds that includes a polyol composition of any of claims 1-12 in an amount sufficient to provide 20 to 85%, based on the total weight of the isocyanate-reactive compounds, of components A and B) of the polyol composition, and water in an amount of 0.5 to 5% of the total weight of the isocyanate-reactive compounds, in the presence of at least one foam-stabilizing silicone surfactant and at least one catalyst for a water-isocyanate or alcohol-isocyanate reaction.

14. The foam of claim 13, wherein the isocyanate index is 70 to 100.

15. The foam of claim 14, wherein the isocyanate-reactive compounds contains no more than 0.5% by weight of a crosslinker and no more than 0.5% by weight of a chain-extender.

7. A polyol composition produced by polymerizing a mixture of 50 to 80 weight percent ethylene oxide and correspondingly 20 to 50 of propylene oxide onto a mixture of at least one diol initiator having a molecular weight of at most 150 and at least one triol initiator having molecular weight of at most 150 to form a intermediate polyether mixture that includes at least one difunctional, random copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide and at least one trifunctional, random copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, and then polymerizing 100% propylene oxide or a mixture of at least 90 weight percent propylene oxide and at most 10 weight percent ethylene oxide onto the intermediate polyether mixture to produce the coinitiated polyether polyol mixture, the coinitiated polyether polyol mixture having a hydroxyl equivalent weight of 200 to 400 and an average nominal functionality of 2.05 to 2.95 hydroxyl groups/molecule, wherein 5 to 30 percent of the hydroxyl groups of the coinitiated polyether polyol are primary hydroxyl groups and polymerized ethylene oxide constitutes 40 to 63 percent of the total weight of the coinitiated polyether polyol.

8. The polyol composition of claim 7 wherein the combined weight of the oxyethylene units constitutes 48 to 60% of the weight of the polyether polyol composition.

9. The polyol composition of claim 7 wherein the combined weight of the oxyethylene units constitutes 52 to 60% of the weight of the polyether polyol composition.

10. The polyol composition of claim 9 wherein 13 to 25 percent of the hydroxyl groups are primary hydroxyl groups.

11. The polyol composition of claim 9 wherein 16 to 20 percent of the hydroxyl groups are primary hydroxyl groups.

12. The polyol composition of claim 9 which has an average nominal functionality of 2.3 to 2.7.

16. (canceled)