Carbon Dioxide Based Poly(ether carbonate) Polyol in Bi-polyol Mixtures for Rigid Polyurethane Foams

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a sustainable feedstock for chemical products is becoming more interesting topic as the public issue of global warming has been increasingly emphasized. In this study, CO2 was polymerized in the presence of propylene oxide by using a double metal cyanide catalyst, affording poly(ether carbonate) (PEC) polyol. Rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) were successfully prepared with a bi-polyol mixture of different compositions containing the CO2-based PEC polyol. Approximately 43 wt% of petroleum-based polyether polyol was successfully substituted by the CO2-based PEC polyol, affording RPUFs with controlled characteristics. The properties of the RPUFs, such as apparent density, compressive strength, thermal conductivity, thermal stability and cell morphology, supported the potential of the RPUFs as thermal insulating materials and CO2 as an eco-friendly sustainable resource.