Science and technology of polyurethane materials

Name: Science and technology of polyurethane materials
Rating: 3.7 (10 reviews)

Basic concepts and applications

Created byLeonel Matías Chiacchiarelli

Last updated 3/2024

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Understand the importance of the polyurethanes industry and the different fields where you can have a career.
You will understand which are the main markets and applications of polyurethanes
You will be able to use the properties of isocyanates and polyols to apply them to any industry
You will understand the most relevant chemical reactions of isocyanates and how they affect the microstructure of polyurethanes
How to use the structure-property relationships so as to predict polyurethane properties
Select and understand the additives suitable for each polyurethane industry
You will be able to correlate microstructure, materials employed and technology in flexible and rigid polyurethane foams
You will be able to correlate microstructure, materials employed and technology in elastomers, adhesives and coatings

Course content

3 sections • 36 lectures • 1h 13m total length

Content overview0:47
Explore the polyurethane industry's versatility, its main properties and characteristics, and the engineering concepts behind applications across rigid foams, flexible foams, elastomers, and composites.
Markets and applications5:54
Polyurethane materials power a range of products from flexible foams in shoes and seats to rigid insulation foams, with 3D printed TPU enabling flexible parts and acoustic damping.
Market share, main industries1:44
Shows the market share distribution among flexible and rigid polyurethane foams, casting adhesives, sealants, and elastomers, and highlights composites, TPU coatings, biocompatible polyurethanes, and value chain resilience.
Isocyanates and polyurethanes0:35
Explore the chemistry of isocyanates and polyurethanes, including synthesis from isocyanate and polyol, and how the isocyanate precursor drives the versatile applications of polyurethane materials.
Isocyanates: main classes1:05
Explore the main classes of isocyanates, including aliphatic and aromatic types, and review common isocyanates such as MDI, TDI, EPD, HDI, H12 MDI, and IPDA.
Isocyanates: main properties4:18
Discover the main properties of isocyanates, including molecular weight, isocyanate value and index, and functionality ranging from two to three, with notes on equivalent weight and polymeric MDI properties.
Isocyanates: chemical reactions0:55
Explore isocyanates and their chemical reactions, focusing on level 1 and level 2 reactions relevant to engineering and polyurethane formulations, while avoiding level 3 chemistry to prevent confusion.
Chemical reactions : isocyanates + alcohols1:46
Isocyanates react with alcohols to form a urethane linkage, with the hard segment from the isocyanate and the soft segment from the polyol, influenced by catalysts and temperature.
Chemical reactions: reaction rates1:26
Explore reaction rates in polyurethane formation using phenyl isocyanate as a model. Compare aliphatic amine, urethanes, and alcohol reactions; note organometallic catalysts and tertiary amine synergy with selectivity trade-offs.
Chemical reactions: urethane reversibility0:44
The urethane linkage reverses on heating, returning to isocyanate and polyol (or alcohol) above 150°C; this reversibility enables recycling but limits maximum surface temperatures, typically near 200°C.
Chemical reactions: isocyanates + water1:51
Isocyanates react with water to form carbamic acid, yielding an amine and carbon dioxide, driving blowing and shelling; one water per two isocyanates, with catalysts.
Chemical reactions: isocyanates + amines0:59
Isocyanates rapidly react with primary aliphatic amines to form substituted ureas without catalysts, releasing exothermic heat. Aromatic amines react more slowly, while tertiary amines serve as catalysts without reacting.
Chemical reactions: isocyanates dimerization1:11
Describe the dimerization of isocyanates, yielding the insoluble uridine dione and carbon dioxide, and explain how these reactions affect processing and liquid isocyanates in industry.
Chemical reactions: isocyanates trimerization1:57
Explore the trimerization of isocyanates, catalysis, and the formation of a stable heterocyclic ring; analyze high NCO index effects on viscosity, processing window, and sustainability.
Polyols: general classification3:05
Classify polyols for polyurethane materials, including polyester and polyether polyols, renewable source polyols from natural products, and aromatic polyols from pet-waste transesterification.
Polyols: fundamental properties1:06
Explore fundamental properties of polyols, including hydroxyl value, functionality, and molecular weight, focusing on oligomeric polyols with low molecular weights, terminal hydroxyl groups, and aliphatic or aromatic structures.
Polyols: hydroxyl value (OH#)2:37
Explains the hydroxyl value (OH number) of polyols, its mg KOH per g units, and determination methods, notably acetylation, with guidance on choosing methods for quality control or development.
Polyols: functionality2:58
Explore polyol functionality, the hydroxyl groups per unit, and how diols react with isocyanates to extend chains, forming hard and soft segments via phase separation in thermoplastic polyurethanes.
Polyols: molecular weight1:37
Explore how molecular weight and its distribution in polyols influence rigid and flexible polyurethane foams, and compare measurement methods like shelf permeation chromatography and vapor pressure osmometry.

Surfactants2:31
Surfactants enable emulsification of incompatible polyurethane components, improve surface elasticity and cell integrity, and require empirical testing to select polysiloxane copolymers, hydrolyzable or non-hydrolyzable, defined by n and m.
Catalysts3:27
Investigate three catalyst families for polyurethane production, including organotin shelling catalysts (dtx dl, Ti9 Evonik) and tertiary-amine blowing catalysts, emphasizing selectivity, environmental limits, and FTIR-based assessment.
Blowing agents2:06
Explore chemical and physical blowing agents in polyurethane foams, detailing water reacting with isocyanate to form carbon dioxide and amines, and the shift to zero ozone depletion and gwp formulations.
Phase separation3:45
Explore the structure-property relationships of polyurethane materials, focusing on phase separation between hard segments and soft domains and how cross-linking and chain extenders shape elasticity and strength.
Isocyanate index effect1:43
Explore the isocyanate index effect on molecular weight and conversion, noting typical 77% conversion and highest molecular weight at a 1:1 isocyanate to hydroxyl ratio for elastomeric applications.
General classification2:34
Explore flexible polyurethane foam forms, from recycled and conventional types to high resilience, viscoelastic, scholastic, reticulated, and microcellular foams, noting firmness, fungi resistance, UV solar radiation, and applications.
Materials and technologies2:14
Explore polyurethane manufacturing technologies for flexible forms: continuous slab top and molded block forms. Utilize water or supercritical CO2 blowing agents to set density, while TDI/MDI polyols shape resilience.
Microstructure2:21
Explain the microstructure of flexible polyurethane foams, detailing urethane and urea blocks, the role of polyol and diisocyanate, and how open-cell architecture influences density, elasticity, and load bearing.

General classification2:39
Explore the general classification of polyurethane insulation, including rigid foams and sandwich panels with polyurethane cores, their fast installation, thermal and sound insulation, and considerations for volatile organic compounds.
Materials : isocyanates and polyols1:24
Examine isocyanates and polyols in rigid polyurethane foams, highlighting polymeric mdi with 30% nco content and 2.7 functionality, and polyols on polyethers with sucrose initiators, hydroxyl value 300–500, influence viscosity.
Materials: formulations1:50
Examine formulations for rigid polyurethane foams, including aromatic polyester polyol blends from peat residues, blowing agents, catalysts, and surfactants, to optimize density and thermal conductivity for insulation.
Technologies: continuous boardstock0:36
Explore continuous boardstock production using a double conveyor belt system with mixing and dosing, spreading polyrhythm along wide belts to form density-controlled rigid structures widely used in industry.
Technologies: spray polyurethane foam (SPF)1:17
Apply spray polyurethane foam insulation directly onto surfaces using portable equipment, achieving fast in situ coating with minimal application time and easy handling of isocyanate and polyol components.
Technologies: injection and moulded1:47
Explore injection and molding technologies for polyurethane materials, including high and low pressure impingement, two-component mixing, flow studies, and Canon router plug technology enabling complete cavity filling.
Microstructure1:58
Explore the microstructure of rigid polyurethane foams, focusing on closed cells that trap insulating gases, anisotropic cell orientation, and cross-linked struts driving mechanical properties.
General classification1:56
Explore the general classification of polyurethane elastomers, including thermoplastic polyurethanes, cast, molded, spray, and rim elastomers, and their applications in footwear, automotive suspension and steering wheels, and protective coatings.
Markets and main concepts2:33
Learn about waterborne polyurethane adhesives and coatings, their urethane network producing tough, durable, flexible films with chemical and oil resistance, and contrasts between one- and two-component, reactive and non-reactive TPUs.

Requirements

The course is focused to the main audience and the concepts can be acquired without any specific background. If you have a chemical background, you will be able to understand more about polyurethanes. If you have a technical background, this course is perfect for you so as to understand how the main concepts of the polyurethane industry.

Description

Do not take this course, Udemy does not allow it to remove it from his website. This course has the main purpose to serve as an introduction of the polyurethane industry. Due to the intrinsic versatility of polyurethane materials, a special focus is made into the different industries where polyurethane is used as well as its main properties and characteristics. The contents are tackled without the rigor of presenting the complex chemistry behind each polyurethane application, but focusing on the key technical and engineering concepts which are fundamental to achieve it.

The course starts with a presentation of the most relevant concepts of polyurethanes, that its, the materials employed to manufacture these polymers. We fcos on the properties of the polyols and the isocyanates as well as key additives employed in the industry. Then, the main chemical reactions taking place are presented focusing on the key concepts and avoiding specific chemical details.

The subsequent sections are mostly associated to polyurethane applications. The course covers covers the most relevant applications such as rigid polyurethane foams, flexible polyurethane foams, elastomers, adhesives, thermoplastic polyurethanes as well as other relevant applications.

Within each section, you'll be able to learn about the main materials used to attain a specific application, the technologies that are employed to manufacture polyurethane materials and the microstructure that it is required for each of these applications.

Who this course is for:

If you are a designer, technician, engineer or a scientist which is starting to work in the polyurethane industry, this course will help you to excel in your career. The concepts developed here are key for a broad understanding of the polyurethane industry, particularly from a technical point of view.

Science and technology of polyurethane materials

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction and content overview19 lectures • 37min

Polyurethane Additives8 lectures • 21min

Rigid polyurethane foams9 lectures • 16min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: