Eric Geiger
Technology Manager
Emery Oleochemicals

Eric Geiger is currently Head of the Product & Application Development team at Emery Oleochemicals in Cincinnati, OH, and has worked with Emery for the last three years. Eric has had a diverse career, working for over 29 years in various aspects of research and development. Eric has been responsible for the development and support of new polyol technologies (polyether, polyester and soy-based) and for managing the research efforts of companies developing new products for polyurethanes (soy-based technologies of USSC, novel flame retardants for Albemarle Corporation, and flexible foam products for furniture/bedding applications while with HSM/ESC).

Advantages of Azelate-Based Polyester Polyols and Their Performance Benefits in Model Polyurethane Coatings
Azelate polyols provide unique physical properties and performance benefits to subsequent polyurethane polymers that incorporate them. Potential benefits expected from novel renewable azelate polyols intended for use in coating or elastomeric applications include both relatively high renewable carbon content and improved performance. A new series of polyols based upon azelaic acid (a C9 diacid) involving a variety of possible partner glycols has been developed and have been described within this work. These polyols have been characterized for their chemical attributes as well as their rheological (lower relative viscosities) and thermal properties (lower relative glass transitions). Model polyurethane coatings and elastomers produced from them have been created, and the results of these polymers are also represented herein. These polyols offer several performance benefits of interest to a final user resulting from structure-property considerations such as the odd-even effect, the aliphatic nature of their structures, and the consequent polarity contribution of the carbonyl groups that define the polyester polyol composition. One such benefit observed is a diverse hydrophobic characteristic permitting a broader choice within the spectrum of better hydrolytic stability to hydrophobic behavior with added traits, including better chemical resistances within coatings and broader chemical solubilities as quantified by Hanson Solubility Parameters.