The polyurethane is a synthetic resin which is produced the condensing polyesters. The term comes from the English word polyurethane .
It should be remembered that a resin is a pasty or solid substance that is soluble in alcohol and insoluble in water. The qualification of synthetic, meanwhile, refers to the fact that it is obtained through an industrial process that imitates a natural procedure.
In the specific case of polyurethane, it comes from polyesters, which are resins made by polymerizing styrene (an unsaturated hydrocarbon). It is a plastic material that is distributed in various presentations, since it can be constituted as a flexible or rigid element depending on its production.
German chemist Otto Bayer is noted as the inventor of polyurethanes in the 1930s. The manufacture and use of these polymers expanded in World War II, when obtaining rubber became very difficult and expensive.
Today there are polyurethanes that are foams, sealants, adhesives or elastomers, for example. Beyond their different characteristics, there are no major chemical differences between polyurethanes, since they always arise from a reaction of diisocyanates with polyols.
Its rigidity or flexibility, in this framework, is given according to the class of diisocyanates and polyols used. The density, in turn, depends on the blowing agent used in the production process.
Polyurethanes are used to create mattresses, clothing, shoes and seats, to name just a few possibilities. It should be noted that most refrigerators (also called refrigerators, refrigerators or refrigerators) use polyurethane as an insulating material.