What are the types of polyurethane and their uses?

How many types of polyurethane and what are their uses? Firstly, we will give a basic introduction to polyurethane and then will talk about this question. Polyurethane is a polymer compound, which has the structure of a carbamate group. It is a new organic polymer material, which plays a vital role in the plastic field. There is a huge marketplace because of its excellent chemical properties such as good heat resistance. The polyurethane industry of China is mainly located in the Yangtze River Delta region.

This new material was produced by liquid isocyanate and liquid polyether or diol polyester with polycondensation. Its physical properties were different from that of the polyolefin material at that time, and scientists gave it a new name “polyurethane”.

There was a flourishing time for the chemical manufacturing industry in the United States after the Second War. In the 1950s, polyurethane soft foam was synthesized, which was an outstanding breakthrough in the chemical industry at that time, and set a firm technical foundation for the development of the polyurethane industry in the future. This material has been applied in many fields, such as the daily necessities field, home field, construction field, and transportation field.

Types of polyurethane

Different types of polyurethane can be obtained according to different dividing methods. This paragraph will introduce four types of polyurethane based on its chemical structure and application. 

1. Polyester polyurethane

Using polyester polyol and isocyanate as raw materials, the manufacturer can produce polyester polyurethane, which is not a complex method. This material has excellent chemical corrosion resistance, weather resistance, and heat resistance, so it has wide application in the construction, automotive, and electronic fields. To be more specific, it can be used to produce insulation materials, car seats, electronic housings, and so on.

2. Polyether polyurethane

Polyether polyurethane is made of polyether polyols and isocyanates. It has excellent elasticity, wear resistance, and cold resistance, which is widely used in automotive, aerospace, medical, and other fields. It can be used to manufacture automotive suspension systems, aircraft seats, and medical equipment.

3. Thermoplastic polyurethane

Thermoplastic polyurethane can be processed into different shapes because of its good plasticity. Of course, it should undergo the process of heating softening, forming, cooling curing, and other processes, then we can get different shapes of thermoplastic polyurethane. 

Besides, it also has other good properties including chemical corrosion resistance and heat resistance. So, in construction, automobile, electronics, and other fields, we can often see the application of thermoplastic polyurethane. That is to say, to produce building insulation materials, automobile housings, and electronic housings, many manufacturers will need a larger amount of thermoplastic polyurethane.

4. Waterborne polyurethane

Waterborne polyurethanes are made of polyether or polyester polyols, isocyanates, and water as raw materials. Good environmental protection, being non-toxic, tasteless, and easy to process, all of these are its unique advantages. We can use it to produce coatings, adhesives, printing inks, and other fields. 

Types of polyurethane

We will introduce another dividing method of polyurethane. It can classed into Liquid polyurethane and granular polyurethane according to the shape of the polyurethane.

1. Liquid polyurethane is a high molecular compound in a liquid form. It is produced by the catalytic reaction of two components. In actual production, foam technology, and common mattresses are made of liquid polyurethane. There is also liquid polyurethane pouring technology, and many seats and insulation materials are manufactured by this great method.

2. Granular polyurethane is a solid plastic molecular material. The product is produced by the way of extrusion, and calendering. The products produced in this way are better than other plastic products in terms of elasticity and toughness. So a lot of mechanical parts, accessories, and other places can be created from solid polyurethane.

Either way, with the constant progress of science and technology, polyurethane will get more and more application space because it has excellent properties.

Conclusion: 

Last, let’s sum up our essay on the topic of “What are the types of polyurethane”. From the above introduction, we can see that polyurethanes can be divided into four types according to their chemical composition. It also can be divided into liquid polyurethane and granular polyurethane according to its shape. Each type has its own unique properties and application domain.