Polyurethanes History
by John Smith LearnerOtto Bayer and colleagues carried
out innovative work in the field of polyurethane polymers at IG Laboratories in
1937. Farben in Leverkusen, Germany. He realized that the use of several
additional principles in the production of polyurethane from liquid
diisocyanate and liquid polyether or polyester diol points to special
possibilities, especially when compared to existing plastics made by
polymerizing olefins or polycondensation. The new monomer composition also
circumvented the existing polyester patent owned by Wallace Carruthers.
Initially, the work focused on the production of flexible fibers and foam. As
development was constrained by World War II (when PU was used to a limited
extent as an aircraft coating), polyisocyanates only became commercially
available in 1952. Commercial production of flexible polyurethane foams based
on toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and polyester polyols began in 1954. This foam
(originally called imitation Swiss cheese) was invented by water accidentally
added to the reaction mixture in Silicone Polyether.
These materials have also been
used to make rigid foams, rubber rubbers and elastomers. The linear fibers were
prepared from hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO). The
first commercially available polyether polyol (poly (tetramethylene ether)
glycol) was introduced by DuPont in 1956 to polymerize tetrahydrofuran. The
following year, in 1957, BASF and Dow Chemicals introduced the cheapest
polysarma glycol. These polyether polyols offered technical and commercial
advantages such as lower costs, easy handling and better water stability.
And polyester polyols are changing rapidly in
the polyurethane industry. Mobey was another early PU pioneer. In 1960, more
than 45,000 tons of flexible polyurethane foam were produced. Over the decade,
the availability of chlorofluoroalkane, low-cost polyether polyols, and
methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) foams has allowed the development and use
of rigid polyurethane foams as high-performance insulation materials. Their
stability and combustion properties based on TDI. In 1967, urethane-modified
rigid polyisocyanurate foams were introduced to provide improved thermal
stability and flame resistance for low-density insulation products.
Also in the 1960s, vehicle
interior safety components, such as instrument panels and doors, were produced
by repackaging thermo-leather with semi-rigid foam. In 1969, Bayer AG
demonstrated an all-plastic car in Düsseldorf, Germany. Parts of this vehicle
are manufactured using a new process called RIM, Reaction Injection Molding.
RIM technology uses the high pressure effect of liquid components, followed by
a rapid flow of the reaction mixture into the mold cavity. Large parts, such as
the front and body panels of a car, can be built on this continent. Silicone Polyether has evolved into
many different products and processes.
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Created on Feb 14th 2022 04:49. Viewed 75 times.