Protein-Containing Foams, Manufacture and Use Thereof
AssigneeBiopolymer Technologies, Ltd.
InventorsAnthony A. Parker, Joseph J. Marcinko
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates generally to protein-containing polyurethane foams, methods and compositions for making the polyurethane foams, and articles comprising the polyurethane foams.
Claims64
An isolated, water-soluble polypeptide composition that is capable of stabilizing a polyurethane-based foam, wherein the composition comprises one or more of the following features:
- (a) an amide-I absorption band between about 1633 cm−1 and 1680 cm−1, as determined by solid state FTIR;
- (b) an amide-II band between approximately 1522 cm−1 and 1560 cm−1, as determined by solid state FTIR;
- (c) two prominent 1° amide N—H stretch absorption bands centered at about 3200 cm−1, and at about 3300 cm−1, as determined by solid state FTIR;
- (d) a prominent cluster of protonated nitrogen nuclei defined by 15N chemical shift boundaries at about 94 ppm and at about 100 ppm, and 1H chemical shift boundaries at about 7.6 ppm and at about 8.1 ppm, as determined by solution state, two-dimensional proton-nitrogen coupled NMR;
- (e) an average molecular weight of between about 600 and about 2,500 Daltons;
- (f) an inability to stabilize an oil-in-water emulsion, wherein, when an aqueous solution comprising 14 parts by weight of protein dissolved or dispersed in 86 parts by weight of water is admixed with 14 parts by weight of PMDI, the aqueous solution and the PMDI produce an unstable suspension that macroscopically phase separates under static conditions within five minutes after mixing;
- (g) the water-soluble polypeptide composition is capable of stabilizing a polyurethane-based foam relative to a polyurethane-based foam created from the same starting composition lacking the water soluble protein composition;
- or
- (h) the water-soluble polypeptide composition is capable of reducing the density of a polyurethane-based foam by at least 5% relative to a polyurethane-based foam created from the same starting composition lacking the water-soluble polypeptide composition.
A polyurethane foam comprising a reaction product of a mixture comprising
- (a) an isolated protein containing composition, wherein the protein is capable of dispersing PMDI in an aqueous medium;
- (b) an isocyanate-based reactant;
- and
- (c) an optional isocyanate-reactive compound.
A method of producing a polyurethane foam, comprising the steps of:
- (a) mixing a protein containing composition and an isocyanate-based reactant to produce a mixture;
- and
- (b) permitting the mixture to produce a polyurethane foam, wherein the protein containing composition is capable of reducing the density of the polyurethane foam by at least 5% relative to a polyurethane foam produced from the same mixture but lacking the protein containing component.
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A premix for preparing a polyurethane foam, comprising:
- (a) a protein containing composition;
- and
- (b) an isocyanate-based reactant, wherein the protein containing composition is capable of reducing the density of the polyurethane foam by at least 5% relative to a polyurethane foam produced from the same mixture but lacking the protein containing component.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.