Facile Room-Temperature Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foams from Carbon Dioxide Based Poly(ether carbonate) Polyols with a Reduced Generation of Acetaldehyde

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is becoming more attractive as a renewable feedstock for chemical synthesis. In this study, CO2 was incorporated into poly(ether carbonate) (PEC) polyols by using a double-metal-cyanide catalyst. By adjusting the CO2 pressure, the content of propylene carbonate units in the PEC polyols was controlled, indicating successful and semiquantitative incorporation of CO2 into the PEC polyols. Polyurethane foams (PUFs) with different propylene carbonate content were easily prepared at room temperature by employing the PEC polyols due to their adequate viscosity under ambient conditions. The firmness of the PUFs increased as the amount of propylene carbonate units increased due to the rigidity of the carbonate linkage, representing predictable mechanical properties. Interestingly, reduced generation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the PUFs, namely acetaldehyde, was observed with a high content of propylene carbonate units at 120 degrees C, indicating good stability of the carbonate units against thermo-oxidative decomposition. This study demonstrates the importance of CO2 as an environmental-friendly and renewable resource that can provide not only industrially important but also problem-solving products in terms of processability and low generation of VOCs.