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A Kinetic Study of the Autoxidative Formation of VOCs, Including Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde and Acrolein from Polyurethane Soft Foams.

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Title: A Kinetic Study of the Autoxidative Formation of VOCs, Including Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde and Acrolein from Polyurethane Soft Foams.
Authors: Sandten, Christian Stefan1 (AUTHOR) c.sandten@fh-muenster.de, Kreyenschmidt, Martin1,2 (AUTHOR), Albach, Rolf1,2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Polymers (20734360). Feb2026, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p496. 43p.
Subjects: Urethane foam, Chemical kinetics, Formaldehyde, Volatile organic compounds, Acetaldehyde, Oxidation, Deterioration of materials, Acrolein
Abstract: The oxidation of flexible polyurethane (PUR) foams significantly impacts product durability, vehicle indoor air quality, and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. This study investigates oxidation kinetics and VOC emissions (65–155 °C) from foams with indices between 70 and 115 (molar ratio of NCO to NCO-reactive groups × 100), where a higher index represents greater hard segment (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) and lower soft segment (polyether polyol) content. Using a flow-through setup with PTFE chambers and Tenax thermodesorption tubes and dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridges, VOCs from initial analyte loading, hydroperoxide degradation, and autoxidation were distinguished, providing robust kinetic data unaffected by diffusion interference. A higher index accelerated soft segment degradation, increasing oxidation rates and VOC emissions. The activation energy of 1,2-propanediol-1-acetate-2-formate increased from 87 kJ/mol in low-index to 108 kJ/mol in high-index formulations. VOC emissions from high-index foams were tripled for acetaldehyde during long-term aging at 65 °C. While most emissions followed Arrhenius behavior, formaldehyde and acrolein deviated above 100 °C, with higher hard-segment content extending their Arrhenius range. These findings link PUR composition to degradation behavior and emissions, enabling formulation improvements. The results advance methods for evaluating raw material contributions and the performance of antioxidants under realistic aging conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: A Kinetic Study of the Autoxidative Formation of VOCs, Including Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde and Acrolein from Polyurethane Soft Foams.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sandten%2C+Christian+Stefan%22">Sandten, Christian Stefan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> c.sandten@fh-muenster.de</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kreyenschmidt%2C+Martin%22">Kreyenschmidt, Martin</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Albach%2C+Rolf%22">Albach, Rolf</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Polymers+%2820734360%29%22">Polymers (20734360)</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 18 Issue 4, p496. 43p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urethane+foam%22">Urethane foam</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chemical+kinetics%22">Chemical kinetics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Formaldehyde%22">Formaldehyde</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Volatile+organic+compounds%22">Volatile organic compounds</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Acetaldehyde%22">Acetaldehyde</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oxidation%22">Oxidation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Deterioration+of+materials%22">Deterioration of materials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Acrolein%22">Acrolein</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The oxidation of flexible polyurethane (PUR) foams significantly impacts product durability, vehicle indoor air quality, and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. This study investigates oxidation kinetics and VOC emissions (65–155 °C) from foams with indices between 70 and 115 (molar ratio of NCO to NCO-reactive groups × 100), where a higher index represents greater hard segment (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) and lower soft segment (polyether polyol) content. Using a flow-through setup with PTFE chambers and Tenax thermodesorption tubes and dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridges, VOCs from initial analyte loading, hydroperoxide degradation, and autoxidation were distinguished, providing robust kinetic data unaffected by diffusion interference. A higher index accelerated soft segment degradation, increasing oxidation rates and VOC emissions. The activation energy of 1,2-propanediol-1-acetate-2-formate increased from 87 kJ/mol in low-index to 108 kJ/mol in high-index formulations. VOC emissions from high-index foams were tripled for acetaldehyde during long-term aging at 65 °C. While most emissions followed Arrhenius behavior, formaldehyde and acrolein deviated above 100 °C, with higher hard-segment content extending their Arrhenius range. These findings link PUR composition to degradation behavior and emissions, enabling formulation improvements. The results advance methods for evaluating raw material contributions and the performance of antioxidants under realistic aging conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.3390/polym18040496
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 43
        StartPage: 496
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Urethane foam
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chemical kinetics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Formaldehyde
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Volatile organic compounds
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Acetaldehyde
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oxidation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Deterioration of materials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Acrolein
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: A Kinetic Study of the Autoxidative Formation of VOCs, Including Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde and Acrolein from Polyurethane Soft Foams.
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            NameFull: Sandten, Christian Stefan
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            NameFull: Kreyenschmidt, Martin
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              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
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              Y: 2026
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