Isocyanate groups

The isocyanates used with rigid foam systems are either polymeric MDI or specialty types of TDI. Both contain various levels of polymerized isocyanate groups which contribute to molecular weight per cross-link and also may affect reactivity due to steric hindrance of some isocyanate positions. 

Commercially, polymeric MDI is trimerized duting the manufacture of rigid foam to provide improved thermal stabiUty and flammabiUty performance. Numerous catalysts are known to promote the reaction. Tertiary amines and alkaU salts of carboxyUc acids are among the most effective. The common step ia all catalyzed trimerizations is the activatioa of the C=N double boad of the isocyanate group. The example (18) highlights the alkoxide assisted formation of the cycHc dimer and the importance of the subsequent iatermediates. Similar oligomerization steps have beea described previously for other catalysts (61). 

A specific example of the process represented by Figure 4b occurs when a multihmctional isocyanate is dissolved in a Hquid, water-immiscible core material and the mixture produced is dispersed in an aqueous phase that contains a dispersing agent. The aqueous phase reacts with some of the isocyanate groups to produce primary amine functionaHties. These amino groups react with unreacted isocyanate groups to produce a polyurea capsule shell (13). 

Urethane All ds. Uralkyds are alkyds with a part or even all of the dibasic acids replaced by diisocyanates. The isocyanate group, —N=C=0,... 

Urethanes. The basis for urethane chemistry is the reaction of an isocyanate group with a component containing an active hydrogen. 

Urethane network polymers are also formed by trimerization of part of the isocyanate groups. This approach is used in the formation of rigid polyurethane-modified isocyanurate (PUIR) foams (3). 

Polyurethane Formation. The key to the manufacture of polyurethanes is the unique reactivity of the heterocumulene groups in diisocyanates toward nucleophilic additions. The polarization of the isocyanate group enhances the addition across the carbon—nitrogen double bond, which allows rapid formation of addition polymers from diisocyanates and macroglycols. 

The polyaddition reaction is influenced by the stmcture and functionaHty of the monomers, including the location of substituents in proximity to the reactive isocyanate group (steric hindrance) and the nature of the hydroxyl group (primary or secondary). Impurities also influence the reactivity of the system for example, acid impurities in PMDI require partial neutralization or larger amounts of the basic catalysts. The acidity in PMDI can be reduced by heat or epoxy treatment, which is best conducted in the plant. Addition of small amounts of carboxyHc acid chlorides lowers the reactivity of PMDI or stabilizes isocyanate terrninated prepolymers. 

The steric effects in isocyanates are best demonstrated by the formation of flexible foams from TDI. In the 2,4-isomer (4), the initial reaction occurs at the nonhindered isocyanate group in the 4-position. The unsymmetrically substituted ureas formed in the subsequent reaction with water are more soluble in the developing polymer matrix. Low density flexible foams are not readily produced from MDI or PMDI enrichment of PMDI with the 2,4 -isomer of MDI (5) affords a steric environment similar to the one in TDI, which allows the production of low density flexible foams that have good physical properties. The use of high performance polyols based on a copolymer polyol allows production of high resiHency (HR) slabstock foam from either TDI or MDI (2). 

This process is based on the very high reactivity of the isocyanate group toward hydrogen present ia hydroxyl groups, amines, water, etc, so that the chain extension reaction can proceed to 90% yield or better. Thus when a linear polymer is formed by chain extension of a polyester or polyether of molecular weight 1000—3000, the final polyurethane may have a molecular weight of 100,000 or higher (see Urethane polymers). 

In addition to linear chain extension, excess diisocyanate leads to cross-linking iato a network because the diisocyanate groups can also react with the hydrogen atoms of the —NH— groups ia the chains. Furthermore, the weU-known polyurethane foam mbber can be made by a dding water to the mixture because the isocyanate groups react vigorously with water to Hberate carbon dioxide gas as follows ... 

The amine groups thus formed can also react vigorously with the isocyanate groups to continue the chain extension and cross-linking reactions. Hence, ia the systems there are simultaneous foaming, polymerization, and cross-linking reactions, which produce foam elastomers (or plastics). 

The resulting prepolymer can then be chain extended with water, glycols or amines by linking cross terminal isocyanate groups (Figure 27.4). 

The water reaction evolves carbon dioxide and is to be avoided with solid elastomers but is important in the manufacture of foams. These reactions cause chain extension and by the formation of urea and urethane linkages they provide sites for cross-linking, since these groups can react with free isocyanate or terminal isocyanate groups to form biuret or allophanate linkages respectively (Figure 27.5). 

The isocyanate group may be terminal on a polyester chain or may be part of the unchanged di-isocyanate. The density of the product, which depends on the amount of gas evolved, can be reduced by increasing the isocyanate content of the reaction mixture and by correspondingly increasing the amount of water to react with the excess isocyanate (that is excess over that required for chain extension and cross-linking). 

In the absence of solvents and with suitable catalysts the evolution of carbon dioxide simultaneously with the polycarbodi-imide formation gives rise to a foamed product. These foams are cross-linked because of reactions between carbodi-imide groups and free isocyanate groups. Raw materials for such foams are now available from Bayer (Baymid). 

The reaction of an isocyanate group with an hydroxylgroup leads to the urethane bond ... 

If an isocyanate group reacts with a hydrogen within the polyurea structure, a branching point is formed, a biuret group ... 

Thermoplastic polyurethanes have no reactive isocyanate groups and cannot crosslink. 

From the data, the liquid is shown to have tetrahedrally coordinated aluminium with three chlorines and the isocyanate group attached. The neutron data clearly shows nitrogen, as opposed to sulfur, coordination to the aluminium center, forming an A1C13NCS species, which is consistent with a hard base/hard acid interaction as compared with the softer sulfur donation. It was also possible to show that a tetrahedral chloride environment is present around the lithium. 

From these, prepolymers are prepared where the diisocyanates may be completely reacted as in the case of the urethane oils which resemble the oil-modified alkyds but have urethane (—NHCOO—) links in place of the ester (—COO—) links of the alkyds, or where one only of the isocyanate groups is combined, leaving the other to participate in crosslinking reactions. Such a reactive prepolymer is the biuret that may be prepared from hexamethylene diisocyanate, has the following structure ... 

The isocyanate group is more reactive than the epoxy group in that it will react at room temperature with water and hydroxyl groups as well as with amine groups. However, the latter reaction is too fast to be practicable so the standard two-pack coatings are based on isocyanate and polyhydroxyl prepolymers such as hydroxyl terminated polyesters or polyethers as in the last example given in the section on epoxy resins. 

Formation of a crosslink by reaction of water and isocyanate group... 

This reaction is relatively fast but can have side reactions, as the isocyanate group can also react with an amide group. Esteramide copolymers are prepared from polyesters with acid endgroups and a diisocyanate.39... 

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