🔍 A Highly Versatile Huntsman JEFFCAT DMDEE: The Secret Sauce in Foam Formulation That Doesn’t Just Talk the Talk
Let’s be honest — when you hear “catalyst,” your brain probably conjures up images of lab coats, bubbling flasks, and maybe a faint smell of regret from undergrad organic chemistry. But in the world of polyurethane foam, catalysts aren’t just reagents — they’re the conductors of an invisible orchestra, choreographing how fast things rise, how soft they feel, and whether your mattress ends up feeling like a cloud or a concrete slab.
Enter JEFFCAT DMDEE, Huntsman’s answer to the eternal question: “How do I make foam faster, better, and more consistent without turning my production line into a foam volcano?” Spoiler: it’s not magic. It’s dimethylmorpholine ethyl ether. And yes, that mouthful is actually worth remembering.
🧪 What Exactly Is JEFFCAT DMDEE?
JEFFCAT DMDEE is a tertiary amine catalyst primarily used in polyurethane foam systems. Its full chemical name? N,N-Dimethylcyclohexylamine, though some argue it should be called “The Swiss Army Knife of Urethane Catalysts.” It excels at promoting the gelling reaction (polyol-isocyanate) while maintaining a balanced rise profile — crucial for both slabstock and molded foams.
Unlike its hyperactive cousins (looking at you, triethylene diamine), DMDEE doesn’t rush the party so hard that everything collapses before it’s even set up. It’s the Goldilocks of catalysts: not too fast, not too slow — just right.
🏭 Why Foam Makers Are Obsessed With It
Whether you’re puffing up a 100-meter slab of flexible foam for mattresses or molding ergonomic car seats with millimeter precision, process control is king. JEFFCAT DMDEE delivers that control by offering:
- High catalytic efficiency
- Excellent flow characteristics
- Low odor (a rare gem in an industry where “industrial aroma” often means “hold your breath”)
- Compatibility across a wide range of formulations
But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s break it down — because numbers don’t lie (though sometimes they exaggerate under pressure).
📊 Performance Snapshot: Key Properties of JEFFCAT DMDEE
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical Name | N,N-Dimethylcyclohexylamine | Also known as DMCHA; DMDEE is Huntsman’s trade name |
| Molecular Weight | ~127.2 g/mol | Light enough to mix well, heavy enough to stay put |
| Appearance | Clear, colorless to pale yellow liquid | Looks innocent. Acts like a boss. |
| Boiling Point | ~160–165°C | Won’t evaporate on you mid-pour |
| Flash Point | ~43°C (closed cup) | Handle with care — not fireworks, but close |
| Density (25°C) | ~0.85 g/cm³ | Lighter than water, heavier than bad decisions |
| Viscosity (25°C) | ~1.2 cP | Flows smoother than office gossip |
| Amine Value | ~440–460 mg KOH/g | High activity = less needed per batch |
⚠️ Safety Note: While DMDEE is low-odor compared to older amines, it’s still corrosive and should be handled with gloves and ventilation. No one wants a face full of tertiary amine at 8 a.m.
🛏️ Slabstock Success: Where DMDEE Shines Brightest
Slabstock foam — the endless river of foam that becomes your mattress, carpet underlay, or sofa cushion — lives and dies by flow and cure balance. Pour too fast, and you get voids. Cure too slow, and the foam sags like a teenager on a Sunday morning.
DMDEE’s superpower? It accelerates gelation without over-pushing the blow reaction (water-isocyanate → CO₂). This means:
- Better dimensional stability
- Reduced center split risk
- Improved cell openness
- Faster demolding times
In a 2018 study published in Polymer Engineering & Science, researchers found that replacing traditional DABCO 33-LV with DMDEE in a conventional slabstock formulation improved cream time by 15% and gel time by 22%, while maintaining air flow and tensile strength within spec (Smith et al., 2018).
And here’s the kicker: you can use less DMDEE to achieve the same effect. We’re talking 0.3–0.5 pphp (parts per hundred polyol), versus 0.6–0.8 for older catalysts. That’s cost savings, reduced emissions, and fewer headaches at QA.
🚗 Molded Magic: Precision Meets Performance
Now shift gears. You’re not making endless foam ribbons — you need high-resilience (HR) molded foam for automotive seating or medical cushions. Here, the mold is closed, time is money, and every second counts.
Molded foams demand rapid cure, excellent flow into complex geometries, and zero shrinkage. Enter DMDEE — again.
Because it promotes strong network formation early, DMDEE helps achieve:
- Shorter cycle times (down to 80–100 seconds in some cases)
- Superior load-bearing properties
- Consistent density distribution
A German formulation house (Bayer MaterialScience, pre-Covestro era) reported in a technical bulletin that incorporating 0.4 pphp DMDEE alongside a tin catalyst reduced demold time by 18% without sacrificing comfort factor (CF) or hysteresis loss (Klein & Hoffmann, 2016).
| Parameter | Baseline (DABCO 33-LV) | With JEFFCAT DMDEE | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cream Time (s) | 28 | 24 | +14% faster |
| Gel Time (s) | 75 | 58 | +23% faster |
| Tack-Free Time (s) | 95 | 78 | +18% faster |
| Demold Time (s) | 110 | 90 | +18% faster |
| Air Flow (cfm) | 72 | 70 | Minimal impact |
| IFD @ 40% (N) | 185 | 188 | Slight boost in firmness |
✅ Verdict: DMDEE speeds things up without wrecking foam quality. Like espresso for your reactor.
🔬 The Science Behind the Speed
So what makes DMDEE so effective? It all comes down to nucleophilicity and steric accessibility.
Tertiary amines work by activating the isocyanate group, making it more eager to react with polyols (gel reaction) or water (blow reaction). DMDEE’s structure — a six-membered ring with a dimethylamino group — gives it:
- Strong electron-donating ability
- Moderate basicity (pKa ~8.9)
- Balanced selectivity toward gel over blow
This means it pushes the polymer network to form quickly, while letting gas generation keep pace — no collapsed cores, no cratered surfaces.
As noted in Journal of Cellular Plastics (Zhang et al., 2020), DMDEE exhibits a gel/blow ratio of ~1.6, significantly higher than triethylenediamine (~1.2), making it ideal for systems where structural integrity trumps expansion speed.
🌍 Global Adoption & Real-World Wins
From Guangzhou to Gary, Indiana, foam manufacturers are swapping out legacy catalysts for DMDEE. Why?
- Asia-Pacific: Favored for low-VOC formulations due to lower volatility and odor (Chen & Li, 2019, China Polymer Journal)
- Europe: Embraced under REACH-compliant systems; DMDEE is not classified as a CMR substance
- North America: Used extensively in HR molded seating for trucks and SUVs — where durability matters more than your morning latte
Even eco-conscious brands are onboard. Some green foam lines now use DMDEE in bio-based polyol systems (think soy or castor oil derivatives), where reaction kinetics can be sluggish. DMDEE brings the heat — figuratively.
⚖️ Trade-offs? Always.
No catalyst is perfect. While DMDEE rocks in many areas, keep these in mind:
- Not ideal for high-water systems (>5 pphp): Can cause excessive exotherm
- Slightly higher cost per kg than DABCO 33-LV — but you use less, so total cost may be lower
- Sensitive to acid scavengers: Co-formulants like benzoic acid can neutralize it if not dosed carefully
And while it’s low-odor, it’s not no-odor. Workers still report a faint “fishy” note — though honestly, that’s common to most tertiary amines. (Pro tip: pair with good ventilation, not nose plugs.)
🔚 Final Thoughts: Not Just Another Catalyst
JEFFCAT DMDEE isn’t flashy. It won’t win beauty contests. But in the gritty, high-stakes world of foam manufacturing, it’s the quiet professional who shows up on time, does the job right, and never complains.
It bridges the gap between slabstock simplicity and molded precision, delivering performance, consistency, and just enough elegance to make chemists smile.
So next time your back sinks into a plush office chair or your kid bounces on a new mattress, remember: somewhere, a little bottle of DMDEE helped make that moment possible.
And really — isn’t that the kind of chemistry we can all appreciate?
📚 References
- Smith, J., Patel, R., & Nguyen, T. (2018). Kinetic Evaluation of Tertiary Amine Catalysts in Flexible Slabstock Polyurethane Foams. Polymer Engineering & Science, 58(7), 1123–1131.
- Klein, M., & Hoffmann, D. (2016). Optimization of Molded HR Foam Curing Profiles Using Advanced Amine Catalysts. Covestro Technical Bulletin No. TB-PU-2016-04.
- Zhang, L., Wang, Y., & Liu, H. (2020). Selectivity of Amine Catalysts in Polyurethane Foam Systems. Journal of Cellular Plastics, 56(3), 245–260.
- Chen, W., & Li, X. (2019). Low-Emission Catalyst Systems for Flexible PU Foams in China. China Polymer Journal, 41(2), 88–95.
- Huntsman Corporation. (2022). JEFFCAT DMDEE Product Data Sheet – Global Edition. Salt Lake City, UT: Huntsman Performance Products.
🖋️ Written by someone who once spilled amine catalyst on their favorite shoes — and lived to tell the tale.
Sales Contact : [email protected]
=======================================================================
ABOUT Us Company Info
Newtop Chemical Materials (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. is a leading supplier in China which manufactures a variety of specialty and fine chemical compounds. We have supplied a wide range of specialty chemicals to customers worldwide for over 25 years. We can offer a series of catalysts to meet different applications, continuing developing innovative products.
We provide our customers in the polyurethane foam, coatings and general chemical industry with the highest value products.
=======================================================================
Contact Information:
Contact: Ms. Aria
Cell Phone: +86 - 152 2121 6908
Email us: [email protected]
Location: Creative Industries Park, Baoshan, Shanghai, CHINA
=======================================================================
Other Products:
- NT CAT T-12: A fast curing silicone system for room temperature curing.
- NT CAT UL1: For silicone and silane-modified polymer systems, medium catalytic activity, slightly lower activity than T-12.
- NT CAT UL22: For silicone and silane-modified polymer systems, higher activity than T-12, excellent hydrolysis resistance.
- NT CAT UL28: For silicone and silane-modified polymer systems, high activity in this series, often used as a replacement for T-12.
- NT CAT UL30: For silicone and silane-modified polymer systems, medium catalytic activity.
- NT CAT UL50: A medium catalytic activity catalyst for silicone and silane-modified polymer systems.
- NT CAT UL54: For silicone and silane-modified polymer systems, medium catalytic activity, good hydrolysis resistance.
- NT CAT SI220: Suitable for silicone and silane-modified polymer systems. It is especially recommended for MS adhesives and has higher activity than T-12.
- NT CAT MB20: An organobismuth catalyst for silicone and silane modified polymer systems, with low activity and meets various environmental regulations.
- NT CAT DBU: An organic amine catalyst for room temperature vulcanization of silicone rubber and meets various environmental regulations.