Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Cellular products or processes of preparing a cellular...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-24
2004-12-14
Cooney, John M. (Department: 1711)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Cellular products or processes of preparing a cellular...
C521S137000, C252S182240, C252S182270
Reexamination Certificate
active
06831112
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a novel polyether compound, an active hydrogen component comprising the polyether, a resin-forming composition employing the polyether or the active hydrogen component, a method for producing a foam (particularly, polyurethane foam) employing the polyether or the active hydrogen component, and a method for producing the active hydrogen component and the foam, employing a polyether having a higher primary hydroxyl content of terminal hydroxyl groups. More specifically, it relates to a polyether having a higher primary hydroxyl content of terminal hydroxyl groups, and to the use of the same.
BACKGROUND ART
<Polyether and Resin Composition>
Polyethers such as polyoxyalkylene polyols, which are obtained by a ring-opening reaction of monoepoxides such as alkylene oxides (hereinafter abbreviated as AO) with active hydrogen compounds, are widely used as resin materials for polyurethane, polyester, etc., surfactants, lubricants, and for other various purposes. Particularly, the use of various kinds of polyether compounds has been considered conventionally for a purpose of applying flexibility, softness, low-temperature rubber-like elasticity, and other characteristics to aromatic polyester resins, unsaturated polyester resins, thermoplastic polyester elastomers, thermosetting urethane resins, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers, and acrylic resins. It has been known that, as the polyether compounds, polyether compounds having side chains, such as propylene oxide (hereinafter abbreviated as PO) adducts of glycerin or polypropylene glycol, for instance, are highly effective, and generally, they are obtained by ring-opening addition polymerization of PO with hydroxyl-group-containing compounds such as glycerin or propylene glycol in the presence of alkaline catalysts.
However, in the case where ring-opening-polymerization products made of only PO by the foregoing method are used, most of the hydroxyl groups at terminals are secondary hydroxyl groups, and normally, primary hydroxyl groups are present at only less than 5% of the terminals. This results in an excessively low reactivity of polyether compounds, and it takes a significantly long time to obtain a reaction ratio that allows inherent properties to be exhibited, which is not practical. To solve such a problem, polyethers in which a primary hydroxyl content of terminal hydroxyl groups is increased often are used, which are obtained by the foregoing ring-opening addition polymerization of PO followed by ring-opening addition polymerization of ethylene oxide (hereinafter abbreviated as EO).
However, such polyethers obtained by addition polymerization of much EO at terminals have increased hydrophilicity, and therefore, cured resins employing these, which are used in moldings, adhesives, paints, films, etc., exhibit undesirable properties such as increasing of water-absorbing properties, impairment of waterproofness, etc. As a result, they are used only for limited purposes.
Therefore, in light of the aforementioned situations, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide polyether compounds suitable as polyol components having sufficient reactivity as materials for forming resins without impairing the hydrophobicity of polyethers, and to provide resins obtained from the polyether compounds.
<Rigid Polyurethane Foam>
Conventionally, rigid polyurethane foams have been used widely as heat insulation materials used in the fields of civil engineering, transport vehicles, household electrical appliances, etc. Recently, for improving the productivity, polyols having an increased primary hydroxyl content for an increased reactivity with isocyanate are used. Normally, terminal-EO adducts of AO adducts are used as the polyols having an increased primary hydroxyl content, but rigid polyurethane foams obtained by using terminal-EO adducts of AO adducts in which EOs are added to terminals in an ordinary manner are excellent in hardenability, but have drawbacks in that they swell when released from molds, and that they are inferior in foam strength.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a rigid polyurethane foam with an excellent hardenability, a minimum degree of swelling when released from a mold, and an increased foam strength.
<Semi-Rigid Polyurethane Foam>
Conventionally, semi-rigid polyurethane foams have been widely used as a shock absorbing material or a cushioning material of interiors of cars. Recently, for improving the productivity, polyols having an increased primary hydroxyl content for an increased reactivity with isocyanate are used. Normally, terminal-EO adducts of AO adducts are used as the polyols having an increased primary hydroxyl content, but semi-rigid polyurethane foams obtained by using terminal-EO adducts of AO adducts in which EOs are added to terminals in an ordinary manner are excellent in hardenability, but have drawbacks in that they swell, or in contrast, shrink significantly, when released from molds.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a semi-rigid polyurethane foam with an excellent hardenability and a minimum degree of swelling or shrinkage when released from a mold.
<Flexible Polyurethane Foam>
Conventionally, as polyether polyols used in the production of flexible polyurethane foams, polypropylene polyols are used to whose terminals EOs are added so as to increase a primary hydroxyl content of terminal hydroxyl groups, from the viewpoint of the reactivity with isocyanate used. The conventional methods have had a drawback in that the obtained foam has EO units, which are hydrophilic groups, thereby having an inferior moisture resistance.
Further, as a urethane foam produced using such a polyether polyol, only a urethane foam having a non-uniform density is obtained in which the density at a skin portion of the urethane foam is greater than the density at a core portion. Therefore, the properties of the urethane foam have to be adjusted according to the properties at a portion with a lower density, that is, the properties of the core portion, and consequently, the urethane foam as a whole is designed to have a relatively great foam density.
Accordingly, still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a flexible polyurethane foam having a uniform density without the deterioration of a moisture resistance.
<Flexible Polyurethane Slab Foam>
Conventionally, as a method for producing a flexible polyurethane slab foam, a method in which a polyether polyol is reacted with an organic polyisocyanate in the presence of a foaming agent, a catalyst, a foam stabilizer, etc. has been known widely. However, in the conventional method, it has been necessary to use organic heavy-metal catalysts in large quantity, which is expensive and could adversely affect the environment, in order to stabilize cells of a polyurethane slab foam when foamed.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a flexible polyurethane slab foam that is excellent in foaming stability and is producible without using organic heavy-metal catalysts in large quantity.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The inventors of the present invention made earnest studies to solve the above-described problems, and consequently found that any polyether of the first through third inventions described below has a sufficient reactivity while having decreased moles of added EO as a polyol component of a resin, thereby maintaining the hydrophobicity. Thus, the inventors have reached the present invention. Furthermore, they invented active hydrogen components comprising the foregoing polyethers and resin-forming compositions using the foregoing polyethers, methods for producing foams employing the foregoing active hydrogen components, and methods for producing active hydrogen components and foams employing polyethers relevant to the foregoing polyethers, which are the fourth through eighteenth inventions.
[Invention Relating to
Kaku Motonao
Kitagawa Hideo
Nishiyama Kenji
Ohta Hidefumi
Satake Munekazu
Cooney John M.
Sanyo Chemical Industries Ltd.
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