Chlorinated Polyether for Stable CO2 Blown Polyurethane Foams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Polyurethane foams produced with carbon dioxide as a blowing agent suffer from carbon dioxide leakage, reducing heat-insulating performance and dimensional accuracy over time, and existing flame retardants can cause stickiness and have poor thermal stability, while chlorinated polypropylene glycols exhibit poor thermal stability and limited solvent solubility.
Innovation Solution
A novel chlorinated polyether with specific repeating units and hydroxyl values, produced through ring-opening polymerization of a chlorinated epoxy compound, offering excellent solubility, thermal stability, and adhesion to polyolefins, and can be used as a flame retardant and starting material for polyurethanes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If carbon dioxide is used as a blowing agent for polyurethane foam, then environmental friendliness is improved, but heat-insulating performance and dimensional accuracy deteriorate over time due to carbon dioxide leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a novel blowing agent system that uses a mixture of gases (including carbon dioxide and other gases with higher molecular weights) as an intermediary medium to fill the foam cells. This mediator prevents the direct use of pure carbon dioxide, thereby maintaining environmental friendliness while improving heat retention and dimensional stability by reducing gas leakage and providing better cellular structure support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite blowing agent system combining multiple gases with different molecular weights and properties. This composite approach allows the lighter carbon dioxide to be mixed with heavier gases, creating a synergistic effect that improves overall foam performance while maintaining the environmental benefits of carbon dioxide usage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If flame retardants are added to polyurethanes, then flame retardancy is improved, but thermal stability deteriorates causing stickiness and migration to surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical parameters of the polyol component by introducing specific structural features (such as hydroxyl value adjustments and molecular weight optimization) that inherently provide flame retardancy. This parameter change allows the polyurethane itself to possess flame-resistant properties without requiring additional flame retardant additives, thereby maintaining thermal stability and preventing surface migration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the flame retardancy function from separate additive components and integrates it directly into the polyol polymer structure itself. By incorporating flame-resistant functional groups within the polyol chains, the invention eliminates the need for separate flame retardant additives that cause thermal instability and surface migration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If chlorinated polypropylene glycol is used to improve solubility and adhesion, then solubility in solvents is improved, but thermal stability deteriorates causing dehydrochlorination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the chlorination degree and molecular weight parameters of the polyether component to achieve the desired balance between solubility and thermal stability. By carefully controlling these parameters, the invention maintains adequate solubility in common solvents while preventing excessive chlorination that would lead to dehydrochlorination and thermal degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces chlorinated polyether segments at specific locations within the polymer structure rather than uniform chlorination throughout. This localized approach allows the chlorinated regions to provide necessary solubility and adhesion properties while leaving other regions intact to maintain thermal stability and prevent dehydrochlorination.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The chlorinated polyether provides improved solubility, thermal stability, and adhesion to polyolefins, enhancing the performance of polyurethane foams and coatings, while preventing carbon dioxide leakage and offering flame retardancy.
Implementation Method 1
conducting ring-opening polymerization of the chlorinated epoxy compound represented by the following formula (3) in the presence of an acid catalyst
Implementation Method 2
the carbon dioxide generated by subjecting water to reaction with an isocyanate is used as a blowing agent
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a chlorinated polyether which has excellent solubility in solvents and excellent thermal stability, has the excellent effect of improving the adhesion of coating materials, inks, and adhesives to polyolefins, can be expected to be usable as a flame retardant, and is useful also as a novel starting material for polyurethanes. The polyether is a novel chlorinated polyether containing, as a repeating unit, at least one of the chlorinated-ether residue represented by the following formula (1) and the chlorinated-ether residue represented by the following formula (2). Also provided is a novel polyurethane obtained therefrom.