Solution compositions of siloxane-oxyalkylene copolymers and amine catalysts and use for manufacture of polyurethane foam

Claim 2

The solution composition of claim 1 wherein the amine component is a tertiary amine.

Claim 3

The solution composition of claim 1 wherein the organic surfactant is an ethylene oxide adduct of nonylphenol having the formula, C9H19C6H4(OC2H4)eOH, where the average value of e is from about 9 to about 20.

Claim 4

The solution composition of claim 1 which additionally contains a water soluble organic solvent.

Claim 5

The solution composition of claim 5 wherein the water soluble organic solvent is an alkylene oxide adduct of butanol.

Claim 6

A solution composition useful in the manufacture of flexible polyether urethane foam which comprises the following components: (1) water; (2) an organic surfactant which is an ethylene oxide adduct of nonylphenol containing an average of from about 9 to about 20 moles of ethylene oxide units per mole of nonylphenol, said organic surfactant being present in an amount of between about 0.25 and about 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the solution; (3) at least one amine which is a catalyst for the polyurethane foam-producing reaction of a polyether polyol and a polyisocyanate, the amount of total amine being between about 3 and about 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the solution; and (4) a siloxane-oxyalkylene block copolymer having the average structure: wherein R'' is a monovalent hydrocarbon group containing from one to 10 carbon atoms, R is an alkylene group containing at least 2 carbon atoms, m and n are numbers, the sum of m + n being such that the oxyalkylene block, R''O(C3H6O)m(C2H4O)n, has an average molecular weight of at least 1,500, from 15 to 60 weight per cent of the oxyalkylene units are oxyethylene units, x has a value of from 40 to about 200, y has a value of from 3 to 15, the siloxane block constitutes from 15 to 70 weight percent of the block copolymer, and Me is a methyl group, the said siloxane-oxyalkylene xane-oxyalkylene block copolymer being presEnt in said solution in an amount of between about 5 and about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the solution; and (5) at least one water soluble organic solvent component which is a butanol-started polyether mono-ol containing oxyethylene and oxypropylene units wherein the weight per cent of oxyethylene units is about equal to the weight per cent of oxypropylene units.

Claim 7

The solution composition of claim 7 wherein the organic surfactant contains an average of about 10.5 moles of ethylene oxide units per mole of nonylphenol.

Claim 8

The solution composition of claim 7 wherein the organic surfactant contains an average of about 15 moles of ethylene oxide units per mole of nonylphenol.

Claim 9

A process for producing a flexible polyurethane foam by reacting and foaming a reaction mixture of: I. a polyether polyol having an average of at least two hydroxyl groups per molecule; II. a polyisocyanate containing at least two isocyanato groups per molecule, said polyether polyol and said polyisocyanate, taken together, being present in the reaction mixture in a major amount and said polyether polyol and polyisocyanate being present in the reaction mixture in the relative amount required to produce the polyurethane foam; III. a minor amount of blowing agent comprising water in an amount sufficient to foam the mixture; IV. a minor amount of a catalyst comprising an amine for the reaction of the polyether polyol and the polyisocyanate to produce the polyurethane; and V. a foam stabilizing amount of a siloxane-oxyalkylene block copolymer having the average structure represented by the formula: wherein R'' is a monovalent hydrocarbon group containing from one to 10 carbon atoms, R is an alkylene group containing at least 2 carbon atoms, m and n are numbers, the sum of m + n is such that the oxyalkylene block, R''O(C3H6O)m(C2H4O)n, has an average molecular weight of at least 1,500, from 15 to 60 weight percent of the oxyalkylene units are oxyethylene units, x has a value of at least 40, y has a value of at least 3, the siloxane block constitutes from 15 to 70 weight percent of the block copolymer and Me is a methyl group; said water, amine and siloxane-oxyalkylene block copolymer being introduced to said reaction mixture in the form of a premixed solution thereof which additionally contains an organic surfactant which raises the cloud point of said premixed solution, said premixed solution containing between about 3 and about 10 parts by weight of amine, between about 5 and about 40 parts by weight of said siloxane-oxyalkylene block copolymer, and between about 0.25 and about 30 parts by weight of said organic surfactant, each concentration being expressed on the basis of 100 parts by weight of the solution.

Claim 10

The process of claim 10 wherein said premixed solution of water, amine catalyst, siloxane-oxyalkylene copolymer and organic surfactant, additionally contains a water soluble organic solvent.

Claim 11

The process of claim 10 wherein the reaction mixture comprises an auxiliary blowing agent.

Claim 12

The process of claim 12 wherein said auxiliary blowing agent is a fluorine-containing organic compound which has a boiling point below 80* F.

Claim 13

The process of claim 10 wherein said catalyst for the polyurethane-forming reaction additionally comprises a metal catalyst which is added to the reaction mixture independently of said premixed solution.

Claim 14

The process of claim 14 wherein said metal catalyst is an organo-tin compound.

Claim 15

The solution composition of claim 2 wherein said alkyl radical is a methyl group.