Catalyst & Silicones

Catalyst & Silicones

A catalyst is a substance or compound that increases the speed or initiates a chemical reaction. Catalysts are used to influence reaction rates but are not consumed in the reaction themselves. A catalyst facilitates the mechanism of a specific reaction, thereby accelerating the conversion of reactants into products. Therefore, catalysts are widely used in many industrial applications and laboratory environments.

Various catalysts are used in the polyurethane industry. These catalysts impact the performance and quality of products by affecting factors such as cell structure in foam, gelling, curing, stability rates, etc.

Silicone:
Silicone is a semi-metallic element with the chemical symbol Si. It forms a basic building block by combining with oxygen to create silicon (silica) compounds. Due to its elastic and flexible nature, silicone is used in numerous industrial and commercial products.

Silicone surface-active catalysts exhibit properties that stabilize the cell structure. Therefore, they are highly suitable for use with conventional polyether polyols. Their use is beneficial for achieving stable foaming structures.

Amine Catalysts:
Amine catalysts influence the gelling properties of products in flexible, rigid, and CASE applications. They enhance the catalytic performance and production safety of products. The optimal use depends on the final product's application, the type of foam, and the formulation.

They find usage in conventional foam production, molded or block foam production, cold casting of molded foam, high-resilience (HR) foam production, and various CASE applications.

Tin Gel Catalysts:
Tin gel catalysts are used in the production of flexible block polyether foam. They are also widely used in the CASE sector for coating and sealant production. They are effective catalysts that influence gelling properties and also interact with other catalysts, contributing somewhat to the swelling reaction.

The optimal use depends on the final product's application, the type of foam, and the formulation.