Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Covestro LLC

Jean-Paul Masy

David A Babb

Carlos M Villa

David Laitar

Ricco B Borella

Richard J Keaton

John W Weston

Francois M Casati

Paul A Cookson

Hanno R Van Der Wal

Flor A Castillo

Myriam Linke

Stephen W King

Pradeep Jain

William Aaron Koonce

Arjun Raghuraman

Michael T Malanga

George J Frycek

Irena Amici-Kroutilova

Daniel Clay Floyd

Vanni Parenti

Sven Claessens

Hamideh Ahmadloo

Freddy A Van Damme

Lucie Porcelli

Matthias Schaefer

Andrea Benvenuti

Sabrina Fregni

Sadeka Onam

David K Steelman

Davide Micheletti

Rossella Riccio

Alessio Sabadini

Oguz Türünç

Sam Verbrugghe

Kevin C Seavey

Elisa Corinti

Esther E Quintanilla

Lionel Petton

Edwin Mes

Fillip E Du Prez

Brian Dickie

Pavel L Shutov

Leigh H Thompson

Sweta Somasi

Mattias Schaefer

Donald Cameron

Stijn De Loos

David S Laitar

Sven Clausssens

An alkylene oxide mixture containing greater than 50% by weight ethylene oxide is continuously polymerized in the presence of a double metal cyanide polymerization catalyst and an alkoxylated initiator having a hydroxyl equivalent weight of up to 200. The catalyst remains active, producing a polyol having an equivalent weight of up to 700 with a high oxyethylene content continuously at fast reaction rates.

Continuous process for making polyether polyols

Catalyst complexes include a zinc hexacyanocobaltate with Mmetal and Mmetal or semi-metal phases, wherein Mmetal is gallium, hafnium, manganese, titanium and/or indium and the Mmetal or semi-metal is one or more of aluminum, magnesium, manganese, scandium, molybdenum, cobalt, tungsten, iron, vanadium, tin, titanium, silicon and zinc and is different from the Mmetal. The catalysts are highly efficient propylene oxide polymerization catalysts characterized by rapid activation, short times to the onset of rapid polymerization and high polymerization rates once rapid polymerization has begun.

Polyether polymerization process

Alkylene oxide polymerizations are performed in the presence of a double metal cyanide polymerization catalyst and certain magnesium, Group 3-Group 15 metal or lanthanide series metal compounds. The presence of the magnesium, Group 3-Group 15 metal or lanthanide series metal compound provides several benefits including more rapid catalyst activation, faster polymerization rates and the reduction in the amount of ultra high molecular weight polymers that are formed. The catalyst mixture is unexpectedly useful in making polyethers having low equivalent weights.

Alkylene oxide polymerization using a double metal cyanide catalyst complex and a magnesium, group 3-group 15 metal or lanthanide series metal compound

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.

Polyol blends useful for producing viscoelastic foam

Polyether diols characterized by a hydroxyl number of 56 or lower, high average functionality and high primary hydroxyl content are prepared by alkoxylating an unsaturated alcohol in multiple steps to form a polyether monol that contains 39% or more primary hydroxyl groups, and then reacting the polyether monol with a mercaptoalcohol that has a primary hydroxyl group.

Process for making polyether diols

High resiliency polyurethane foam is made from a polyether polyol having an equivalent weight of at least 1000. At least a portion of the polyether polyol is one or more random copolymer(s) formed by polymerizing a mixture of 70 to 95% by weight propylene oxide and 5 to 30% by weight ethylene oxide onto an initiator compound. The random copolymer(s) has a nominal hydroxyl functionality of at least 5, a hydroxyl equivalent weight of at least 1500 g/equivalent and no more than 0.01 milliequivalents per gram of terminal unsaturation. The randomly polymerized propylene oxide and ethylene oxide constitute at least 80% of the total weight of the random copolymer. At least 70% of the hydroxyl groups of the random copolymer are secondary hydroxyls.

High resiliency polyurethane foams made with high functionality, high equivalent weight polyols with mainly secondary hydroxyl groups

The present invention discloses a polymeric polyol composition useful for making polyurethane polymers, especially polyurethane foams. Said polyurethane polymer foams demonstrate a good balance of mechanical properties, physical properties, and low emissions. The polymeric polyol composition is the reaction product(s) of (i) a polyamine initiator composition comprising the polymerization product(s) of aminoethylpiperazine with (ii) at least one epoxide compound, at least one glycidyl ether compound, or mixtures thereof.

Autocatalytic polyols

Polyether polyols are made by a process that includes a continuous addition of starter and alkylene oxide. The feed of starter is discontinued when 80 to 95% of the alkylene oxide has been fed to the reactor. This process produces a product with a narrow molecular weight distribution.

Process for preparing polyether polyol using DMC catalyst and continuous addition of starter

Random poly(propylene oxide-co-ethylene oxide) polymers are made by polymerizing a mixture of propylene oxide and a small amount of ethylene oxide in the presence of a starter and a double metal cyanide catalyst complex, and then feeding in a mixture of propylene oxide and ethylene oxide while increasing the ethylene oxide concentration in the mixture to at least 90%. This produces a polyol suitable for making high resiliency polyurethane foam without need for adding an ethylene oxide cap.

Method for making propylene oxide/ethylene oxide copolymers using double metal cyanide catalysts, and copolymers so made

An alkylene oxide mixture containing greater than 50% by weight ethylene oxide is continuously polymerized in the presence of a double metal cyanide polymerization catalyst and certain magnesium, Group 3-Group 15 metal or lanthanide series metal compounds. The presence of the magnesium, Group 3-Group 15 metal or lanthanide series metal compound permits the polymerization to be performed continuously without premature deactivation of the double metal cyanide catalyst.

Continuous process for making polyether polyols having high polymerized ethylene oxide content using a double metal cyanide catalyst complex and a magnesium, group 3&#x2014;group 15 metal or lanthanide series metal compound

A storage stable isocyanate-reactive composition includes a reactive component including (a) 5 wt % to 30 wt % of at least one Novolac-type polyoxypropylene polyether polyol having a hydroxyl functionality from 2 to 5 and a hydroxyl number from 130 to 450 mg KOH/g, (b) 20 wt % to 60 wt % of at least one high functional polyether polyol having a hydroxyl functionality from 6 to 8 and a hydroxyl number from 300 to 700 mg KOH/g, (c) 2 wt % to 30 wt % of at least one low functional polyether polyol having a hydroxyl functionality from 2 to 5 and a hydroxyl number from 50 to 400 mg KOH/g, (d) 2 wt % to 30 wt % of at least one amine initiated polyol having a hydroxyl number from 250 to 600 mg KOH/g, and (e) 1 wt % to 25 wt % of one or more additives; and a hydrocarbon physical blowing agent component in an amount of at least 10 parts by weight for each 100 parts by weight of the reactive component.

Isocyanate-reactive formulation for rigid polyurethane foam

Polymer polyols are made by polymerizing an ethylenically unsaturated monomer in a continuous polyol phase. The polymerization is stabilized with a macromer or a pre-formed polymer made by polymerizing or copolymerizing the macromer. The macromer is a random polymer of propylene oxide and ethylene oxide in defined ratios, which also contains polymerization carbon-carbon double or triple bond. Polymer polyols made in the process exhibit little viscosity rise when blended with water. Flexible polyurethane foam made from the polymer polyol exhibits excellent hardness, have good surface characteristics and, when pigmented, exhibit good, uniform coloration.

Macromer and process for making polymer polyols

A method of producing a high primary hydroxyl group content and a high number average molecular weight polyol includes preparing a mixture that includes a double metal cyanide catalyst and a low molecular weight polyether polyol having a number average molecular weight of less than 1,000 g/mol, the polyether polyol is derived from propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, or butylene oxide, setting the mixture to having a first temperature, adding at least one selected from propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, and butylene oxide to the mixture at the first temperature, allowing the mixture to react to form a reacted mixture, adding a Lewis acid catalyst to the reacted mixture, setting the reaction mixture including the second catalyst to have a second temperature that is less than the first temperature, and adding additional at least one selected from propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, and butylene oxide to the reacted mixture at the second temperature such that a resultant polyol having a primary hydroxyl group content of at least 60% and a number average molecular weight greater than 2,500 g/mol is formed.

Dual catalyst system for high primary hydroxyl polyols

Ethylene carbonate is polymerized by itself or together with another cyclic monomer such as 1,2-propylene oxide in the presence of a double metal cyanide catalyst. Most of the ethylene carbonate adds to the chain to form a terminal carbonate group, which decarboxylates to produce a hydroxyethyl group at the end of the polymer chain. The polymerization of more ethylene carbonate onto the chain end results in the formation of poly(ethyleneoxy) units. Therefore, the process provides a method for making poly(ethyleneoxy) polymers without the need to polymerize ethylene oxide. The process is useful for making polyethers that are useful as water-absorbable polymers, surfactants and as raw materials for polyurethanes. The process is also useful for increasing the primary hydroxyl content of a polyether.

Process for making polyether alcohols having oxyethylene units by polymerization of ethylene carbonate in the presence of double metal cyanide catalysts

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Destelbergen, Belgium

Jean-Paul Masy