Polyurethanes, or PU, constitute a group of polymers with highly versatile properties anda wide range of commercial applications. The material is used in almost every aspect of human life, in a multitude of applications in industries such as construction, automobile, refrigeration, furniture including mattresses, adhesives and sealants, footwear, ship building, transport, packaging, coating and paints. PU is formed by reacting a polyol with a diisocyanate or polymeric isocyanate in the presence of suitable catalysts and additives. Apolyol is actually an alcohol with more than two reactive hydroxyl groups per molecule. A broad spectrum of materials can be produced because of the variety of diisocyanates and polyols that can be used for different applications. Generally, there are three types of PU – rigid, semirigid and flexible. In this technology, the use of palmbased polyol in flexible PU slabstock is described.

Main Research: Dr Ooi Tian Lye