SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, today announced that its recently launched NORYL™ AP2001G aromatic polyol can significantly improve the performance of hot cast polyurethanes (PUs) based on methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMG).
By boosting the hardness, toughness and stiffness properties of cast PU by double digits, NORYL AP2001G polyol can enable MDI formulations cured with 1,4-butanediol (BDO) to deliver equivalent or better performance compared to toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and PTMG PU formulations cured with MOCA (4,4'-methylene bis(ortho-chloroaniline)).
Due to increasing scrutiny in the use of MOCA as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) in the European Union, many PU manufacturers have adopted alternative formulations, including MDI-BDO. However, existing MDI-BDO systems pose performance challenges including lower mechanical and chemical properties vs. TDI-MOCA systems. SABIC’s NORYL AP2001G polyol for MDI-BDO systems addresses both the SVHC issue and performance deficiencies of existing materials, providing formulators with an alternative solution to TDI formulations and an opportunity to reduce or eliminate MOCA.
“As manufacturers began to transition away from SVHCs, SABIC understood the need to assist customers with this challenge,” said Antonello Cerullo, Ph.D., senior business development manager, SABIC. “We collaborated with Troy Polymers to validate the notable performance benefits of our new NORYL polyol for MDI-BDO systems. Thanks to our innovative new modifier, customers may now achieve results comparable to – or even better than – what they experienced with TDI-MOCA and MDI-BDO formulations, while staying ahead of the tighter restrictions that are being placed on the MOCA curative.”
VALIDATING PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES VS. MDI-BDO PUS
SABIC engaged Troy Polymers, a leading research and development laboratory based in Madison Heights, Mich., in the United States, to formulate PU samples using NORYL AP2001G polyol and conduct extensive testing and validation. The results showed that NORYL AP2001G polyol (at a loading of 5.6 percent) improved several properties of MDI-BDO cast PU formulations.
The SABIC modifier delivered up to a 30 percent increase in toughness, up to a 26 percent boost in tensile stress at break, up to an 8 percent improvement in elongation at break, and up to a 1.4 point jump in Shore D hardness.
Testing also revealed that NORYL AP2001G polyol can enhance hardness and toughness performance at high temperatures up to 70°C, which potentially allows MDI-BDO cast PU to be used in extreme conditions, such as for oil and gas exploration, gasketing and mining applications.
In terms of processability, when NORYL AP2001G polyol was added to the pre-polymer, the cast PU showed a longer pot life than a baseline MDI-BDO system. Details on the test methodology and results can be downloaded here.
“Based on our extensive experience in innovative polyurethane solutions, we have verified the benefits of SABIC’s NORYL AP2001G polyol for cast polyurethanes based on MDI-BDO systems,” said Aisa Sendijarevic, Ph.D., research director, Troy Polymers. “While MDI-BDO technology can replace TDI-MOCA in some applications, adding NORYL AP2001G polyol significantly improves MDI-BDO performance and offers an alternative that is free of substances of very high concern. Our test results indicate this SABIC polyol may enhance the performance and regulatory compliance of cast polyurethane.”
SABIC PRESENTING AT UTECH EUROPE
Cerullo will give a technical presentation titled, “PPE oligomers for improved PU materials” at UTECH Europe on November 17, from 3:15-3:30 p.m. Central European Time (CET), in Maastricht, The Netherlands. He will share data and describe how using NORYL AP2001G polyol can enhance MDI-BDO cast elastomer performance compared to both a standard MDI-BDO and a TDI-MOCA formulation. Register for the event here.