Preparation of Molded Viscoelastic Polyurethane Foam for Pillow Applications

There is a growing interest in developing and commercializing viscoelastic polyurethane foam suitable for pillow and mattress applications. In the present investigation, a novel combination of polyols with different molecular weights and hydroxyl values along with other ingredients were used for the preparation of viscoelastic polyurethane foam. The optimum polyol:isocyanate ratio was found to be 100:45 to yield a good quality foam. The physico-mechanical properties of the foam were measured as per standard procedures and compared with those of a commercially available viscoelastic foam sample. It was observed that the properties of the foam from this investigation were almost similar and in some aspects better than the properties of commercially available pillow foam. The foam can be further developed to make it suitable for hospital pillows and mattress applications.