The effect of chemical structure and hydroxyl content of the polyester polyol on the physical properties of the polyurethane foam based on Nonylphenol surfactant

This study is aimed at investigating the effect of chemical structure and hydroxyl content of polyester polyol on the reactivity and physical properties of polyurethane foams. Polyurethane foams (RPUFs) have been fabricated from pMDI and different types of polyester of various hydroxyl values (OHVs) of 10–100 and various acid number of 3-15 with water as blowing agent. Density, dimension stability, reactivity, cell size and cell size distribution were measured. Kinetic parameters such as cream and gel time are affected by hydroxyl value but are independent of chemical structure (The cream time, gel time, tack-free time, and density of the foam showed a minimum at maximum %OH.). Also Kinetic parameters influence on the foam morphology such as total shape, cell size distribution and density. Further more Rigid foams show better dimension stability