Polyurethane Gel Particles, Methods and Use in Flexible Foams

A composition comprising a combination of open cell flexible polyurethane foam and polyurethane gel particles produced by the method comprising:

• a. reacting one or more polyols with hydroxyl values from 10-170 and with functionality greater or equal to 3;
• one or more polyols with hydroxyl values from 170-1400 and with functionality of 2;
• and one or more polyisocyanates with NCO functionality of 2 to 8, where the gel polymer has a polyisocyanate index between 0.62 to 0.90, where the polyurethane gel elastomer is prepared in the presence of at least one gelation catalyst, to make a polyurethane gel elastomer;
• b. reducing the polyurethane gel elastomer into polyurethane-gel like particles having an average particle size between the range of about 0.01 to about 12 millimeters;
• c. introducing the polyurethane gel particles into a mixture of polyurethane foam-forming components comprising a polyol and an isocyanate;
• d. polymerizing the polyol and the isocyanate to form an open cell flexible polyurethane foam;
• where said polyurethane gel particles are added in the range of about 0.1 to about 200 parts per hundred of the polyol component of polyurethane foam.