Polyester Polyols Show Advantages in Polyurethane Adhesives
Ortho-phthalate polyols are useful raw materials in the synthesis of polyurethane coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (C.A.S.E). Previous work has shown the advantages that these polyols offer in terms of hydrolytic stability based on their aromatic substitution pattern1. New polyols have been recently developed with high molecular weight that are suitable for polyurethane prepolymer synthesis. Here we demonstrate how these polyols may be used in several non-cellular polyurethane applications.
Polyurethanes have been often described in literature as one of the most versatile polymers known2,3,4. The reason for such success can generally be explained as the product of two windfalls. First, polyurethanes may be prepared as either cellular or non-cellular products, which allow polyurethanes to find applications in numerous end uses. The second reason for the versatility of polyurethane polymers comes from the abundance of raw materials available to prepare polyurethanes. Strictly speaking, general polymer nomenclature regards a polymer as a polyurethane even if other functional groups are also present. Hence, polyurethanes may be built from starting materials containing many polyester and/or polyether polyols, by reacting them with aliphatic or aromatic isocyanates.