US 6,271,274 B1Granted

Open-cell polyisocyanurate foam for fixing and supporting plants

AssigneeToyo Quality One Corporation

InventorYoko Sano

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Abstract

An open-cell polyisocyanurate foam for fixing and supporting plants, which is prepared from an aromatic isocyanate, a hydroxyl compound having an average number of functional groups of 1.0 or above and an oxyethylene content of 20 wt % or above, an isocyanuration catalyst and a silicone foam stabilizer consisting of a polysiloxyane/polyoxyalkylene copolymer wherein the terminal OH group of the polyether segment is capped with a compound not having any other active hydrogen atom and oxyethylene units are contained in an amount of 30 wt % or above, and which exhibits a density of 8 to 70 kg/m3, an open cell content of 98% or above, a hardness of 0.1 to 2.0 kgf/cm2 in state compressed by 10 to 40% in both the parallel direction and the rectangular direction to the direction of expansion, and a hardness different by +20% to −20% from that found in a state compressed by 10% in both the parallel direction and the rectangular direction to the direction of expansion in a state compressed by 40% therein, is excellent in water absorption rate, water absorption capacity and water retention, and is improved in the reception of inserted flower.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A hard type polyisocyanurate foam having open-cell, useful as a supporter to fix and support a plant, said foam being prepared using a polyisocyanate compound, a hydroxy compound, a pore forming agent comprising water, pentane, hexane, dichloromethane, 1, -dichloro-1-fluoroethane, or mixture of any of the foregoing or other low boiling point liquid pore forming agent, a catalyst, a silicone foam stabilizer, a neutral emulsifier which does not have an activated hydrogen and, optionally, an ionized emulsifier, as starting materials, wherein, the polyisocyanate compound is an aromatic polyisocyanate compound, the hydroxy compound is a hydroxy compound whose average number of functional groups is bigger than 1.0 and content of oxyethylene is bigger than 20% by weight, the catalyst is at least an isocyanurate catalyst and the silicone as foam stabilizer is a polysiloxane-polyoxyalkylene copolymer whose polyoxyalkylene polyether end OH group is capped by a compound which does not include activated hydrogen atom, further, said polyoxyalkylene contains more than 30 weight % of oxyethylene, and is used at the pore formation process, further said foam having the following structural features:

8 to 70 kg/m3 specific gravity;
higher than 98% open-cell ratio and
a 40% compressive hardness to the parallel direction to the pore forming direction in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 kgf/cm2.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.