SleepTech July - August 2018

103
Polymeric polyols are generally
used to produce other polymers.
They are reacted with isocyanates
to make polyurethanes used to
make mattresses, foam insulation
for appliances (refrigerators and
freezers), home and automotive
seats, elastomeric shoe soles,
fibers (e.g. Spandex), and adhesives.
Polymeric polyols are usually polyethers
or polyesters. Polyether
polyols are made by reacting
epoxides like ethylene oxide or
propylene oxide with the multifunctional
initiator in the presence
of a catalyst, often a strong base
such as potassium hydroxide or
a double metal cyanide catalyst
such as zinc hexacyanocobaltate-t-butanol
complex. Common
polyether diols are polyethylene
glycol, polypropylene glycol, and
poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol.
The examples shown below are
fairly low molecular weight triols
based on glycerin (a triol) being
reacted with propylene oxide,
ethylene oxide or a combination
of the two. In reality, the chains
would not be of equal length in
any one molecule and there would
be a distribution of molecular
weight polyols within the material.
Polyether polyols account for
about 90% of the polymeric polyols
used industrially; the balance
is polyester polyols.
As is the case for all foam manufacturers
at almost all over the
world Turkish foam manufacturers
have also been suffering some
supply problems of this main input
of their manufacturing process.
Price hikes are also a big problem
for the industry. Depending on
this material for foam production
the industry is almost in a monopoly
of a main supplier.
When it suffers from any cause
the entire industry suffers because
the producer naturally reflects the
loss on prices, delivery and other
factors.
Another class of polymeric polyols
is the polyesters. Polyesters are
formed by condensation or stepgrowth
polymerization of diols
and dicarboxylic acids (or their
derivatives), for example diethylene
glycol reacting with phthalic
acid. Alternatively, the hydroxyl
group and the carboxylic acid (or
their derivatives) may be within
the same molecule, as in the case
of caprolactone. The example
below is an idealized structure
that could be obtained by reacting
pentaerythritol (a tetrol) with
gamma-butyrolactone.