With the acceleration of urbanization and the improvement of people’s quality of life requirements, building sound insulation technology has become an indispensable part of modern architectural design. As a high-efficiency sound insulation material, polyurethane soft foam has been widely used in the field of building sound insulation. However, the catalysts used in the production process of traditional polyurethane soft foam often contain substances harmful to the human body and the environment, which not only limits its application scope, but also triggers widespread social concern about the safety of building materials. Therefore, the development of environmentally friendly polyurethane soft foam catalysts has become one of the research hotspots in the industry. <\/p>\n
Polyurethane soft foam is a porous structural material with good sound absorption properties. The principle is to absorb sound wave energy through the tiny bubbles inside the foam and convert it into heat energy, thus reducing the reflection and transmission of sound. This material can not only effectively reduce noise pollution inside and outside the building, but also improve the comfort of the space, which is of great significance for improving the living and working environment. <\/p>\n
The sound absorption mechanism of polyurethane soft foam mainly includes the following aspects:<\/p>\n
The application scenarios of polyurethane soft foam in building sound insulation are very wide, including but not limited to:<\/p>\n
Catalysts traditionally used to prepare polyurethane soft foam mainly include heavy metal salts such as organotin compounds. Although these catalysts can promote the reaction and speed up foam formation, they also have obvious shortcomings:<\/p>\n
In order to overcome the problems caused by traditional catalysts, researchers began to explore new environmentally friendly catalysts. These catalysts are mainly divided into the following categories:<\/p>\n
Bio-based catalysts use natural ingredients derived from vegetable oils or microorganisms as raw materials, and the catalysts developed are not only environmentally friendly, but also harmless to the human body. Common bio-based catalysts include:<\/p>\n
The complex formed by combining metal ions with organic ligands retains the activity of the metal catalyst and reduces the toxicity of the metal ions. Common metal chelate catalysts include:<\/p>\n
Including organic compounds such as amines and alcohols, as well as some inorganic acids and bases, these catalysts are equivalent to traditional catalysts in catalytic efficiency, and are safer and more environmentally friendly. Common non-metal catalysts include:<\/p>\n
A well-known international building materials company uses a bio-based catalyst modified based on soybean oil in its new residential sound insulation solution. This catalyst not only meets the demand for efficient catalysis, but also significantly reduces production costs. More importantly, the entire production process achieves zero emissions, fully complying with green building standards. <\/p>\n
| Features<\/th>\n | Traditional Catalyst<\/th>\n | Bio-based catalyst<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|
| Catalytic efficiency<\/td>\n | High<\/td>\n | High<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cost<\/td>\n | Higher<\/td>\n | Moderate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Environmental impact<\/td>\n | Serious pollution<\/td>\n | Zero emissions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Security<\/td>\n | There is a certain risk<\/td>\n | Non-toxic and harmless<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nCase 2: Application of metal chelates in sound insulation engineering of commercial complexes<\/h5>\nA large commercial real estate developer tried for the first time to use a new metal chelate catalyst to prepare polyurethane soft foam in its new commercial complex project. Practice has proven that this catalyst can not only effectively increase the density and strength of foam, but also significantly extend the service life of the material, greatly improving the economic and social benefits of the project. <\/p>\n |