(reported by zhang yunzhong) recently, liming research institute has developed a composite polyurethane memory cotton material that has the common properties of structural memory cotton and airbag-type memory cotton. compared with traditional memory cotton, the newly-developed material is more comfortable, durable and process-tolerant, with lower temperature sensitivity. an invention patent application has been filed for this technology.
also known as “slow rebound”, memory cotton was first used for making astronaut suits and is referred to as one of the two greatest inventions in the field of space technology, the other one being gps. once contacting the human body, the material will sense the body temperature, become softer, absorb body pressure and then, adjust the human body to the most comfortable position.
in the development process of the material, the technical personnel need to consider different product formulas that suit different environment conditions while taking into account the factors that affect the material’s physical and processing properties. different applications require the foam to have different physical properties. for example, pillows should be soft and comfortable; mattresses should have a high hardness and good bearing capacity; cushions used in passenger planes and other vehicles should be flame retardant. in addition, the formulas need to be adjusted according to subtle changes in and actual conditions of the production process so as to meet production requirements.
mainly made of polyether polyol that contains a lot of po, the conventional memory cotton is significant in permanent deformation and sensitive to temperature change. for the present invention, however, the inventors developed a special kind of polyether that is dedicated to memory cotton and a kind of polyether that is rich in eo, combined the two kinds of polyether, and synthesized a high-porosity low-molecular-weight polyether polyol that is matched with high-activity foam stabilizers. the memory cotton thus prepared is much less in permanent deformation, more durable, softer and more comfortable than the conventional memory cotton. as composite material, it has the characteristics of both structural memory cotton and air-bag-type memory cotton, featuring a higher shape memory index and being non-sticky, among other advantages.
it is known that industrialized production of this new material has been realized. waist pillows and seat cushions made of it have been successfully used in the ejection seat of a certain series of jet fighters, providing good protection and comfort to the pilot.
