Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam
Foam products are one of the largest markets for polyurethane (PU) and are heavily used in many sectors. However, current PU formulations use highly toxic and environmentally unfriendly production processes. Meanwhile, the increasing environmental concerns and regulations are intensifying the resear...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/24/4460 |
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| author | Said El Khezraji Suman Thakur Mustapha Raihane Miguel Angel López-Manchado Larbi Belachemi Raquel Verdejo Mohammed Lahcini |
| author_facet | Said El Khezraji Suman Thakur Mustapha Raihane Miguel Angel López-Manchado Larbi Belachemi Raquel Verdejo Mohammed Lahcini |
| author_sort | Said El Khezraji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Foam products are one of the largest markets for polyurethane (PU) and are heavily used in many sectors. However, current PU formulations use highly toxic and environmentally unfriendly production processes. Meanwhile, the increasing environmental concerns and regulations are intensifying the research into green and non-toxic products. In this study, we synthesized flexible polyurethane foam (PUF) using different weight percentages (0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1%) of a non-toxic bismuth catalyst. The bismuth-catalyzed foams presented a well evolved cellular structure with an open cell morphology. The properties of the bismuth-catalyzed flexible PUF, such as the mechanical, morphological, kinetic and thermal behaviors, were optimized and compared with a conventional tin-catalyzed PUF. The bismuth-catalyst revealed a higher isocyanate conversion efficiency than the stannous octoate catalyst. When comparing samples with similar densities, the bismuth-catalyzed foams present better mechanical behavior than the tin-catalyzed sample with similar thermal stability. The high solubility of bismuth triflate in water, together with its high Lewis acidity, have been shown to benefit the production of PU foams. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:14:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-556776334eb14df5b1a638395e81a12c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:14:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-556776334eb14df5b1a638395e81a12c2023-11-23T10:16:42ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602021-12-011324446010.3390/polym13244460Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane FoamSaid El Khezraji0Suman Thakur1Mustapha Raihane2Miguel Angel López-Manchado3Larbi Belachemi4Raquel Verdejo5Mohammed Lahcini6IMED-Lab, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cadi Ayyad University, Avenue Abdelkrim Elkhattabi, B.P. 549, Marrakech 40000, MoroccoInstituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Polimeros, ICTP-CSIC, C/Juan de la Cierva, 3, 28006 Madrid, SpainIMED-Lab, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cadi Ayyad University, Avenue Abdelkrim Elkhattabi, B.P. 549, Marrakech 40000, MoroccoInstituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Polimeros, ICTP-CSIC, C/Juan de la Cierva, 3, 28006 Madrid, SpainIMED-Lab, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cadi Ayyad University, Avenue Abdelkrim Elkhattabi, B.P. 549, Marrakech 40000, MoroccoInstituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Polimeros, ICTP-CSIC, C/Juan de la Cierva, 3, 28006 Madrid, SpainIMED-Lab, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cadi Ayyad University, Avenue Abdelkrim Elkhattabi, B.P. 549, Marrakech 40000, MoroccoFoam products are one of the largest markets for polyurethane (PU) and are heavily used in many sectors. However, current PU formulations use highly toxic and environmentally unfriendly production processes. Meanwhile, the increasing environmental concerns and regulations are intensifying the research into green and non-toxic products. In this study, we synthesized flexible polyurethane foam (PUF) using different weight percentages (0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1%) of a non-toxic bismuth catalyst. The bismuth-catalyzed foams presented a well evolved cellular structure with an open cell morphology. The properties of the bismuth-catalyzed flexible PUF, such as the mechanical, morphological, kinetic and thermal behaviors, were optimized and compared with a conventional tin-catalyzed PUF. The bismuth-catalyst revealed a higher isocyanate conversion efficiency than the stannous octoate catalyst. When comparing samples with similar densities, the bismuth-catalyzed foams present better mechanical behavior than the tin-catalyzed sample with similar thermal stability. The high solubility of bismuth triflate in water, together with its high Lewis acidity, have been shown to benefit the production of PU foams.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/24/4460non-toxicpolyurethane foambismuth catalystflexible foam |
| spellingShingle | Said El Khezraji Suman Thakur Mustapha Raihane Miguel Angel López-Manchado Larbi Belachemi Raquel Verdejo Mohammed Lahcini Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam Polymers non-toxic polyurethane foam bismuth catalyst flexible foam |
| title | Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam |
| title_full | Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam |
| title_fullStr | Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam |
| title_full_unstemmed | Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam |
| title_short | Use of Novel Non-Toxic Bismuth Catalyst for the Preparation of Flexible Polyurethane Foam |
| title_sort | use of novel non toxic bismuth catalyst for the preparation of flexible polyurethane foam |
| topic | non-toxic polyurethane foam bismuth catalyst flexible foam |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/24/4460 |
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