Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Northwestern University

Manjiri R Paradkar

Arjun Raghuraman

David R Wilson

Sukrit Mukhopadhyay

William Hoy Heath

Heather Spinney

Anthony P Gies

David A Babb

SonBinh T Nguyen

Justin M Notestein

William L Heaner

Heather A Spinney

Arjun A Raghuraman

A method of producing a polyether polyol includes reacting a low molecular weight initiator with one or more monomers in the presence of a polymerization catalyst, and the low molecular weight initiator has a nominal hydroxyl functionality of at least 2. The one or more monomers includes at least one selected from propylene oxide and butylene oxide. The polymerization catalyst is a Lewis acid catalyst having the general formula M(R)1(R)1(R)1(R)0 or 1, whereas M is boron, aluminum, indium, bismuth or erbium, R, R, R, and Rare each independent, Rincludes a fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, Rincudes a fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group or a fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group, Rincludes a fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group or a fluoro/chloro-substituted phenyl group, and optional Rincludes a functional group or functional polymer group, Rbeing different from at least one of Rand R.

Process of manufacturing polyols

A method of producing a polyether polyol that includes reacting a low molecular weight initiator with one or more monomers in the presence of a polymerization catalyst, the low molecular weight initiator having a number average molecular weight of less than 1,000 g/mol and a nominal hydroxyl functionality at least 2, the one or more monomers including at least one selected from propylene oxide and butylene oxide, and the polymerization catalyst being a Lewis acid catalyst having the general formula M(R)(R)(R)(R). Whereas, M is boron, aluminum, indium, bismuth or erbium, R, R, and Reach includes a same fluoroalkyl-substituted phenyl group, and optional Rincludes a functional group or functional polymer group. The method further includes forming a polyether polyol having a number average molecular weight of greater than the number average molecular weight of the low molecular weight initiator in the presence of the Lewis acid catalyst.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to polyether-acetal polyol compositions, more particularly to polyol compositions including a polyether-acetal polyol that can be utilized to form polyurethanes. As an example, a polyurethane formulation can include a polyol composition including a polyether-acetal polyol functionalized with at least one acetal functional group, where the polyol composition has an average hydroxyl functionality from 2 to 8 and a hydroxyl equivalent weight from 150 to 4000, where the portion of the polyether-acetal polyol that is functionalized with the at least one acetal functional group is 1 percent to 40 percent of a total weight of the polyether-acetal polyol, where the polyether-acetal polyol has a primary hydroxyl group content of at least 55 percent, and a polyisocyanate, where the polyurethane formulation has an isocyanate index in a range from 70 to 500.

Polyether-acetal polyol compositions

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Lake Jackson, TX, United States of America

Manjiri R Paradkar