US 12,473,430 B2
Polyurethane foams for comfort applications
Yasmin Srivastava, Sugarland, TX (US); William A. Koonce, Lake Jackson, TX (US); Philip H. Sheridan, Marietta, GA (US); and Rogelio Gamboa, Brazoria, TX (US)
Assigned to DOW GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, Midland, MI (US)
Appl. No. 17/789,906
Filed by Dow Global Technologies LLC, Midland, MI (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 27, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/015189
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 29, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/154789, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 5, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/968,185, filed on Jan. 31, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0055474 A1, Feb. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. C08L 75/08 (2006.01); C08G 18/12 (2006.01); C08G 18/32 (2006.01); C08G 18/40 (2006.01); C08G 18/48 (2006.01); C08G 18/63 (2006.01); C08G 18/66 (2006.01); C08G 18/76 (2006.01); C08K 5/5415 (2006.01)
CPC C08L 75/08 (2013.01) [C08G 18/12 (2013.01); C08G 18/3206 (2013.01); C08G 18/4072 (2013.01); C08G 18/4816 (2013.01); C08G 18/4841 (2013.01); C08G 18/4845 (2013.01); C08G 18/632 (2013.01); C08G 18/6674 (2013.01); C08G 18/7621 (2013.01); C08G 18/7671 (2013.01); C08K 5/5415 (2013.01); C08G 2110/0008 (2021.01); C08G 2110/005 (2021.01); C08G 2110/0058 (2021.01); C08G 2110/0083 (2021.01); C08G 2350/00 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
 
1. A flexible polyurethane foam comprising a reaction product of a reaction mixture that comprises
a) an isocyanate mixture comprising
a-1) a first isocyanate-functional prepolymer, which first isocyanate-functional prepolymer is a reaction product of at least one hydroxyl-terminated polymer of ethylene oxide and optionally a hydroxyl-functional branching agent and/or hydroxyl-functional chain extender with an excess of diphenylmethane diisocyanate of which diphenylmethane diisocyanate at least 50 weight-% is 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate,
a-2) optionally diphenylmethane diisocyanate, wherein components a-1) and a-2) together have an isocyanate content of 5 to 15% by weight and contain 30 to 75 weight percent of oxyethylene units, based on the combined weight of components a-1) and a-2), and components a-1) and a-2) together constitute 40 to 60% of the total weight of the isocyanate mixture,
a-3) a second isocyanate-functional prepolymer, which second isocyanate-functional prepolymer is a reaction product of at least one hydroxyl-terminated polymer of ethylene oxide and a hydroxyl-functional branching agent having at least three hydroxyl groups per molecule and a hydroxyl equivalent weight of up to 250 g/equivalent with an excess of toluene diisocyanate, and
a-4) optionally toluene diisocyanate, wherein a-3) and a-4) together have an isocyanate content of 5 to 15% by weight and contain 30 to 75 weight percent of oxyethylene units, based on the combined weight of components a-3) and a-4) and 2 to 5% by weight of residues from the hydroxyl-functional branching agent, based on the combined weight of components a-3) and a-4); components a-3) and a-4) together constitute 40 to 60% of the total weight of the isocyanate mixture; and components a-1), a-2), a-3) and a-4) together constitute the entire weight of the isocyanate mixture;
b) water;
c) at least one polymer polyol comprising polymer particles dispersed in at least one base polyol, the base polyol being a polyether having at least 50% by weight oxypropylene units and a hydroxyl equivalent weight of 500 to 3000 g/equivalent;
d) optionally a poly(ethylene oxide), the poly(ethylene oxide) being a homopolymer of ethylene oxide homopolymer or a random and/or block copolymer of at least 80% by weight ethylene oxide and up to 20% by weight of another alkylene oxide, the poly(ethylene oxide) having a number average molecular weight of 400 to 1200 g/mol;
at least one of e) and f), wherein e) is at least one silicone surfactant; and f) is at least one ethylene oxide/higher alkylene oxide block copolymer, the block copolymer containing 40 to 90% by weight oxyethylene units and having a number average molecular weight of 1500 to 12,000 g/mol; and optionally
g) at least one phase change material that has a melting or glass transition temperature of 25 to 37° C. and which does not contain isocyanate groups or isocyanate-reactive groups;
wherein
i) the isocyanate mixture constitutes 40 to 65% of the combined weights of components a-g;
ii) water constitutes 15 to 41% of the combined weights of components a-g;
iii) the at least one polymer polyol constitutes 8 to 20% of the combined weights of components a-g and the polymer particles constitute 0.5 to 10% of the combined weights of components a-g;
iv) the poly(ethylene oxide) when present constitutes up to 5% of the combined weights of components a-g;
v) the at least one silicone surfactant constitutes 0 to 3% of the combined weights of components a-g;
vi) the at least one ethylene oxide/higher alkylene oxide block copolymer constitutes 0 to 3% of the combined weights of components a-g;
vii) the at least one phase change material constitutes up to 15% of the combined weights of components a-g and
viii) components a-g constitute at least 95% of the weight of the reaction mixture.