Improving the physical properties of polyurethane foams using tertiary amino alkyl amide catalysts

1. A method for preparing a polyurethane foam which comprises reacting an organic polyisocyanate and a polyol in the presence of water as a blowing agent, a cell stabilizer, a gelling catalyst, and a tertiary amine amide catalyst composition represented by the formula I:

wherein A represents CH or N;

R 1 represents hydrogen or

n is an integer from 1 to 3;

R 2 and R 3 each represent hydrogen or a C 1 –C 6 linear or branched alkyl group;

R 4 and R 5 each represent a C 1 –C 6 linear or branched alkyl group when A represents N, or together R 4 and R 5 represent a C 2 –C 5 alkylene group when A represents N; or together R 4 and R 5 may be a C 2 –C 5 alkylene group containing NR 7 when A represents CH or N, where R 7 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C 1 –C 4 linear or branched alkyl group, and

and; R 6 represents a C 5 –C 35 linear or branched alkyl, alkenyl, or aryl group, and where the tertiary amine amide catalyst is acid-blocked with an acid which is formic acid, acetic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, gluconic acid, or N-(2-hydroxyethyl)iminodiacedic acid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 each represent hydrogen.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 4 and R 5 each represent a methyl group when A represents N.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 4 and R 5 together represent —CH 2 CH 2 N(CH 3 )CH 2 — when A represents CH.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein n represents 2 or 3.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine amide catalyst composition is an N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-amide derived from an acid selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, tall oil fatty, caproic, heptylic, caprylic, pelargonic, capric, hendecanoic, lauric, tridecanoic, myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, margaric, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, ricinoleic, nonadecanoic, arachidic, heneicosanoic, behenic, tricosanoic, lignoceric, pentacosanoic, cerotic, heptacosanoic, montanic, nonacosanoic, melissic, hentriacontanoic, dotriacontanoic, tritriacontanoic, tetracontanoic, hexatriacontanoic, 9-phenylstearic, and 10-phenylstearic acid.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the acid is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, and tall oil fatty acids.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine amide catalyst composition is an N-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-amide derived from an acid selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, tall oil fatty, caproic, heptylic, caprylic, pelargonic, capric, hendecanoic, lauric, tridecanoic, myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, margaric, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, ricinoleic, nonadecanoic, arachidic, heneicosanoic, behenic, tricosanoic, lignoceric, pentacosanoic, cerotic, heptacosanoic, montanic, nonacosanoic, melissic, hentriacontanoic, dotriacontanoic, tritriacontanoic, tetracontanoic, hexatriacontanoic, 9-phenylstearic, and 10-phenylstearic acid.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the acid is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, and tall oil fatty acids.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine amide catalyst composition is an N-methyl-3-aminoethyl pyrrolidine amide derived from an acid selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, tall oil fatty, caproic, heptylic, caprylic, pelargonic, capric, hendecanoic, lauric, tridecanoic, myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, margaric, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, ricinoleic, nonadecanoic, arachidic, heneicosanoic, behenic, tricosanoic, lignoceric, pentacosanoic, cerotic, heptacosanoic, montanic, nonacosanoic, melissic, hentriacontanoic, dotriacontanoic, tritriacontanoic, tetracontanoic, hexatriacontanoic, 9-phenylstearic, and 10-phenylstearic acid.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the acid is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, and tall oil fatty acids.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine amide catalyst composition is a 4, 10-diaza-4, 10, 10-trimethyl-7-oxa-undecaamine amide derived from an acid selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, tall oil fatty, caproic, heptylic, caprylic, pelargonic, capric, hendecanoic, lauric, tridecanoic, myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, margaric, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, ricinoleic, nonadecanoic, arachidic, heneicosanoic, behenic, tricosanoic, lignoceric, pentacosanoic, cerotic, heptacosanoic, montanic, nonacosanoic, melissic, hentriacontanoic, dotriacontanoic, tritriacontanoic, tetracontanoic, hexatriacontanoic, 9-phenylstearic, and 10-phenylstearic acid.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the acid is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexanoic, coconut oil fatty, and tall oil fatty acids.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine amide catalyst composition is N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-2-ethyl-hexamide.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine amide catalyst composition is N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-cocoamide.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tertiary amine amide catalyst composition is N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-tall oil amide.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gelling catalyst is a mono- and/or bis-(tertiary amino alkyl) urea selected from the group consisting of diazabicyclooctane (triethylenediamine), quinuclidine, substituted quinuclidines, substituted pyrrolidines, and substituted pyrrolizidines.

18. The method of claim 1 , which comprises reacting the following components in parts by weight (pbw):

Polyol

 20–100

Polymer Polyol

80–0

Silicone Surfactant

  1–2.5

Blowing agent

  2–4.5

Crosslinker

0.5–2 

Catalyst

0.25–2  

Isocyanate Index

  70–115.

19. In a method for preparing a polyurethane foam which comprises reacting an organic polyisocyanate and a polyol in the presence of water as a blowing agent, a cell stabilizer, a gelling catalyst, and a catalyst composition, the improvement of enabling the reaction between water and isocyanate to cause blowing of the foam while maintaining and controlling the physical properties of the foam which comprises using a tertiary amino alkyl amide catalyst composition represented by the formula I:

wherein A represents CH or N;

R 1 represents hydrogen or

n is an integer from 1 to 3;

R 2 and R 3 each represent hydrogen or a C 1 –C 6 linear or branched alkyl group;

R 4 and R 5 each represent a C 1 –C 6 linear or branched alkyl group when A represents N, or together R 4 and R 5 represent a C 2 –C 5 alkylene group when A represents N; or together R 4 and R 5 may be a C 2 –C 5 alkylene group containing NR 7 when A represents CH or N, where R 7 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C 1 –C 4 linear or branched alkyl group, and

and; R 6 represents a C 5 –C 35 linear or branched alkyl, alkenyl, or aryl group, and where the tertiary amino alkyl amide catalyst is acid-blocked with a carboxylic acid which is formic acid, acetic acid, 2-ethtlhexanoic acid, gluconic acid, or N-(2-hydroxyethyl)iminodiacetic acid.