Polyether Polyols
Polyether polyols Chemical Structure Composition
Polyether polyols are key components used in the production of polyurethanes.
Polyether-based polyurethanes exhibit enhanced hydrolytic stability and excellent resistance to weak acids and bases compared to polyester-based polyurethanes.
Polyether polyurethane can be divided into soft foam polyether, rigid foam polyether and elastomer with polyether according to performance of polyether products.
However, polyether-based polyurethanes are more susceptible to UV radiation and provide poor resistance to oils and fuels compared to polyester-based polyurethanes.
Production
Polyether Polyols are made by reacting organic oxide and glycol.
Main organic oxide utilized are Ethylene Oxide, Propylene Oxide, Butylene Oxide, Epichlorohydrin.
Main glycols utilized are Ethylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Water, Glycerine, Sorbitol, Sucrose, THME.
Polyols contain reactive hydroxyl (OH) groups which react with isocyanate (NCO) groups on isocyanates to form polyurethanes.
There are many kinds of polyether polyols for polyurethane. PU materials with different performance can be obtained with the reaction between different initiators and olefin polymerization.
By modifying the PU raw materials or changing the catalyst, polyether performance can be modified. These initiators include diethyl alcohol, ternary alcohol, tetrahydrofuran, and aromatic polyether polyols, etc.
USES
The consumption of polyether used in PU is more than 80%. Polyether polyurethane can be classified
- Polyether Polyol (PPG),
- Polymeric Polyol (POP),
- Polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG, also called polytetrahydrofuran polyol) according to the initiator.
Polyether polyols are mainly used in PU rigid foam, soft foam, and molding foam products.
POLYETHER Polyol vs POLYESTER Polyol products
The decision to use a polyether rather than polyester will depend on the final properties of the material (abrasion resistance, heat resistance, hardness, solvent resistance, shock absorption…)
Arpadis is one of the largest chemical distributor in Europe.
Arpadis is handling the storage, transport, export & import formalities of Polyether polyols globally.