By: Kaitlin Hosler, Product Marketing Manager, Univar Solutions
For many years, polyols have functioned as a customizable keystone ingredient that caters to the specific needs of coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers (CASE) applications. Valued for their versatility, reliability, and crucial role they play in formulations, polyols have a long list of unique and combined benefits that demonstrate they enhance other ingredients and their end products. With product efficacy backed by science and data, polyols are an essential chemistry multitasker.
Polyols have enjoyed a successful history of contributing to significant product breakthroughs across a vast number of manufacturing and consumer markets. With the increasing demand for energy-efficient materials in the construction industry, the call for lightweight materials in automotive applications, and a furniture market seeking comfortable, durable, and supportive materials, polyurethane systems and polyols for CASE applications are in the spotlight. With a wide range of polyols available for an expansive variety of applications, now is the time to discover how Univar Solutions and Dow ingredient specialists can help bring clarity to formulating with polyols and insight into extending the technical performance of these strategic materials.
Main segments of the polyols market:
- Automotive
- Buildings and construction
- Electronics and electrical
- Footwear
- Furnishings
- Industrial
- Packaging
What are polyols and how do they function in formulations?
Polyols and isocyanates are the core components in the production of polyurethanes. The wide range of polyols available to react with isocyanates gives rise to a broad spectrum of polyurethane materials, with applications ranging from cushioning and insulation to protective coatings, packaging, and electronics. This broad formulation compatibility with other polyols and chain extenders helps explain their value across markets.
Formulating with Dow VORANOL™ 220-056, VORANOL™ 360, and VORANOL™ CP 6001 polyols for high performing, beneficial technology solutions.
Dow polyols are designed to meet the diverse needs of CASE applications and help formulators achieve performance and processing advantages. These polyols can be tailored to suit different requirements and offer numerous benefits including improved mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and adhesion.
In coatings, polyols serve as an integral crosslinking agent that enhances a coating’s durability, adhesion, and chemical resistance. By promoting crosslinking between molecules, they improve overall strength and performance of the coating. Flexibility, impact resistance, and solidity are improved, making the coating more resistant to wear and tear, chemicals, and other environmental factors.
With adhesives, polyols perform as a reactive diluent that improves viscosity and flow properties. As a result, they make the adhesive easier to apply and spread, enhancing its overall performance and effectiveness. They can also help improve an adhesive’s strength and water resistance, with use as a curing agent to improve mechanical properties and chemical resistance.
For sealants, polyols are used as a crosslinking agent to improve durability and chemical resistance. They also help improve mechanical properties, such as elasticity and adhesion, making the sealant more effective in sealing gaps and preventing leakage. Polyols can also function as a binder in sealants to improve adhesion to certain substrates.
In elastomers, polyols function as a crosslinking agent to improve the elastomer’s mechanical properties, including hardness, flexibility, and resistance to abrasion. They can improve the overall strength and durability of the elastomer, increasing its resistance to wear and tear and enhancing its ability to withstand harsh environmental conditions.
When selecting your polyols for formulating, check out the key attributes and advantages of using Dow VORANOL™ 220-056, VORANOL™ 360, and VORANOL™ CP 6001 polyols. Renowned for their flexibility, these polyols allow formulators to cater their use to the specific needs of CASE applications.
Essential properties for defined applications*
Glycol initiated, 2000 molecular weight homopolymer diol. VORANOL™ 220-056 is renowned for its ability to serve as a crosslinking agent in CASE grade applications, resulting in coatings with enhanced durability and chemical resistance. This feature translates to better overall performance and strength, making 220-056 a must-have for manufacturers seeking to create high-performance coatings.
- Uses: Typical sealant formulations.
- Benefits: Easily blended with other polyols and additives giving almost unlimited options in performance and processing in typical sealant formulations.
A 4.5 functional, low viscosity, sucrose/glycerin-initiated polyether polyol designed to produce high- and low-density rigid polyurethane foams. It can be used alone, in a blend, or in combination with other polyols or fire-retardant agents. This polyol is suitable when using HCFC-141b or water as a blowing agent. The foaming reaction of systems based on this product is affected less by high humidity conditions than many other polyols. For rigid foam applications, 360 is the preferred choice of many manufacturers.
- Uses: Ideal for high density foams such as furniture and decoration, and low-density foams like insulated panels, rail boxcars, portable coolers, and pour-in-place insulation.
- Benefits: Compatible with polymeric isocyanates, which aid in processing high density foams where long cream time is desired. Yields uniform foam properties and improved adhesion to substrates. Specially engineered to provide improved mechanical properties and chemical resistance, making it excellent for applications that demand high performance and durability.
A triol polyether polyol, capped, 6000 MW, specially developed to produce flexible HR molded polyurethane foam with TDI, TDI/PMDI or MDI. VORANOL™ CP 6001 is incredibly versatile and ideal for flexible molded foam applications. Its unique properties make it an ideal choice for applications that require enhanced elasticity and adhesion while providing excellent durability and chemical resistance.
- Uses: Can be used in the production of semi-rigid integral skin foams and cold cure and high resilience molded foams. Ideal for flooring, headrests and armrests, panels, console and trim, and seating.
- Benefits: Fast reactivity with high primary hydroxyl content; offers enhanced prepolymer stability and consistent processing.
As chemical ingredient specialists who talk with suppliers and product makers every day, we have our eye on polyol technology and how it can meet the needs of end user industries.
Polyols have undoubtedly contributed to improving the quality of life as we know it today, playing a major role across a range of applications with benefits for formulators, manufacturers, and consumers. With far-reaching technical attributes such as chemical resistance, versatility, and reliability, polyols are an ideal and economically viable choice for manufacturers seeking to create high performance CASE and foam applications. Using polyols, our CASE Lab team can demonstrate to you how to innovate at the application and product levels to bring new and compelling products to market.
*Information provided by Dow
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