UV curing behaviors and hydrophilic characteristics of UV curable waterborne hyperbranched aliphatic polyesters

A series of waterborne hyperbranched polyesters (WBHPs) endcapped with methacrylic and salt-like groups in different ratios have been investigated as UV curable resins. The kinetic studies of the drying step and UV curing were carried out by FT-IR measurements. The drying of the film of 100 μm thickness was completed in less than 6 hr at 70°C or within 10 hr at 50°C in an oven. The influence of different photoinitiators and their concentrations, extent of unsaturation and acid content of WBHP on final unsaturation conversion was studied. The surface free energy is a critical character, which affects the surface properties of a cured film. So one method based on the measurement of contact angle of a pure liquid on a solid surface was applied to determine the polar and dispersive components of the surface energy of UV cured films. The investigations of surface energy of WBHPs illustrated that those with more acid content and thus higher polar component are more sensitive to water, while those containing less acid content and thus lower polar term are less water sensitive. Moreover, the UV cured films of WBHPs and their blends with commercial waterborne resins (trade name EB 210, EB 2002, EB 11 and IRR 160) have acceptable pendulum hardness varying from 55 to 180 sec. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of oxetane‐based polysiloxanes used for cationic UV curing coatings

The polysiloxanes end‐capped with oxetane group (PSiO‐H and PSiO‐L) were synthesized via hydrosilylation reaction based on α,ω‐dihydrogen‐terminated polydimethylsiloxanes with a higher (0.23%, PDSi‐H) and lower (0.12%, PDSi‐L) hydrogen amount. The molecular structures were characterized by FT‐IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The polysiloxanes were added into a commercial oxetane‐based resin, 3,3′‐(oxydi(methylene)) bis(3‐ethyloxetane) (DOX), as an additive to prepare a series of cationic UV curable formulations. The photo‐DSC results showed that the maximum photopolymerization rate decreased while the oxetane conversion increased with the polysiloxane content increasing. The surface hydrophobic property of cured films was improved having the water contact angles of 97° and 99° compared with 82° of the cured DOX film with only 1 wt% PSiOs, respectively. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis results showed that both the storage modulus on the rubbery plateau region and the glass transition temperature decreased with increasing PSiO‐H loading. Moreover, the decrease became more obvious as PSiO‐L was added instead of PSiO‐H due to its lower concentration of oxetane group. The thermal stability of cured films was enhanced by the addition of PSiOs from the thermogravimetric analysis. And the DOX/PSiO‐H film possessed higher thermal degradation temperatures than DOX/PSiO‐L film. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and property study of UV-curable hyperbranched polyurethane acrylate/ZnO hybrid coatings

In the present work, the third generation hyperbranched polyester (HBPE-3G) based polyurethane acrylate (HBPUA-32)/ZnO hybrid coatings are prepared, by modifying 16 hydroxyl groups of HBPE-3G with an acrylic adduct. The HBPE-32 is prepared from the di-trimethylol propane and 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid, converted into hybrid coatings by incorporating 1%, 3% and 5% nano ZnO powder into the polymer matrix. The ¹H, ¹³C NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy methods are used for structural characterization, degree of branching calculation and structure to property correlation study and various hybrid film properties are analyzed by TGA, DMTA, XRD and SEM instruments.     

Synthesis and properties of a novel hyperbranched polyphosphate acrylate applied to UV curable flame retardant coatings

A series of hyperbranched polyphosphate acrylates (HPPAs) being used for UV curable flame retardant coatings were prepared by the reaction of tri(acryloyloxyethyl) phosphate (TAEP) with piperazine at given ratios, and characterized using FTIR, ¹H NMR and GPC measurements. HPPA was blended with TAEP in different ratios to obtain a series of UV curable resins. Their maximum photopolymerization rates and final unsaturation conversion (P^f) in the cured films at the presence of a photofragmenting initiator were investigated. The results showed that the P^f increased along with HPPA content and the pure HPPA has the maximum value of 82.1% in the photo-DSC analysis. The data from dynamic mechanical thermal analysis showed that HPPA has good miscibility with TAEP. The crosslinking density and T_g of the cured film decrease along with the content of HPPA in the blend. The mechanical properties of the cured films were also investigated. Less than 20% HPPA addition improved both the tensile strength and elongation at break without damaging the modulus. The HPPA₂₀TAEP₈₀ film with 20% HPPA addition has the highest tensile strength of 31.7 MPa and an elongation at break two times that of cured TAEP. The flame retardancy of the UV cured films was investigated by the limiting oxygen index (LOI). The cured TAEP/HPPA samples greatly expanded when burning, and the degree of expansion increased along with HPPA content. However, the LOI values decreased from 47.0 to 34.0 along with HPPA content, which can be ascribed to that the flame retardancy of TAEP is mainly acting in the gas phase, whereas HPPA mainly acting in condensed phase, and the gas phase mechanism holds the dominant effect while their blends are burning.     

Synthesis of Perfluorinated Oxetane and Surface Properties of Its Cationic UV Cured Coating as a Reactive Additive

Perfluorinated oxetane(F-OXE) was synthesized via the ring-opening reaction of epoxy-functionalized oxetane with 2-(perfluorooctyl)ethanol under base-catalysis, and characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The synthesized F-OXE was mixed with a commercial cationic UV curable resin, UVR6110, as a reactive additive at different mass fractions, and UV-irradiation cured in the presence of triphenylsulphonium hexafluoroantimonate as a cationic photoinitiator. The surface property study of cured films indicated that both hydrophobicity and oleophobicity were effectively enhanced by the addition of a small amount of F-OXE. The contact angles of water and 1-bromonaphthalene on the surface of the cured film with 1.0%(mass fraction) F-OXE loading increased from 72° to 106° and from 0° to 76°, respectively, compared with those on the surface of the film without F-OXE addition. The surface tension of UVR6110-F-OXE cured film decreased greatly from 55.6 mN/m of referenced film to 22.9 mN/m. The results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirm the migration and aggregation effect of perfluoroalkyl group to the surface of cured film. For 1%(mass fraction) addition of F-OXE, the relative content of fluorine greatly increased from 0.70%(mass fraction) in the interior of the cured film to 36.73%(mass fraction) at the surface of the cured film, whereas those of carbon and oxygen decreased from 73.29% to 40.96% and from 26.00% to 22.30%, respectively.     

Synthesis and repellent properties of vinylidene fluoride-containing polyacrylates

Fluorinated polyacrylats with side group containing vinylidene fluoride (VDF) units (CF₃(CF₂)_n (CH₂CF₂)_m, n = 3, 5; m = 1, 2) were successfully synthesized. The water and oil repellency properties of these polymers are similar to those of fluorinated polyacrylate with side group containing long perfluorooctyl group (CF₃(CF₂)₇). The thermal telomerization of CF₃(CF₂)₅I and CF₃(CF₂)₃I with vinylidene fluoride (VDF) provided CF₃(CF₂)₅CH₂CF₂I (1b) and CF₃(CF₂)₃CH₂CF₂CH₂CF₂I (1c), respectively. The addition of 1b with ethylene followed by hydrolysis gave CF₃(CF₂)₅CH₂CF₂CH₂CH₂OH (2b). Treatment of 1c with ethyl vinyl ether in the presence of Na₂S₂O₄ followed by reduction produced CF₃(CF₂)₃CH₂CF₂CH₂CF₂CH₂CH₂OH (2c). Fluoroacrylates 3b-d were prepared by acrylation of the corresponding fluoroalcohols 2b-d. The semi-continuous process emulsion co-polymerization of 3a-d with octadecyl acrylate and 2-hydroxylethyl acrylate initiated by (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ in the presence of a mixture emulsifiers of polyoxyethylene(10)nonyl phenyl ether (TX-10) and sodium lauryl sulfate provided stable latexes 4a-d, respectively. The water and oil repellency properties of 4b (R_f: CF₃(CF₂)₅CH₂CF₂) and 4c (R_f: CF₃(CF₂)₃CH₂CF₂CH₂CF₂) containing vinylidene fluoride (VDF) units were similar to those of 4a (R_f: CF₃(CF₂)₇) containing long perfluoroalkyl group and much better than those of polymer 4d (R_f: CF₃(CF₂)₃) with short perfluoroalkyl chain. Thus, polyacrylates containing vinylidene fluoride units showed promising aspects as the alternatives to the currently used water and oil repellent agents with long perfluoroalkyl chains.     

Photoinitiators for UV and visible curing of coatings: Mechanisms and properties

The radiation curing industry is one of the most rapidly developing fields in the entire coatings industry. The low toxicity, cheapness, speed, control and ease of formulation and operation are some of the main advantages of this growing technology. UV and/or visible light radiation is used to induce photochemical polymerization or crosslinking of a monomer, oligomer or prepolymer formulation containing a certain type of unsaturation, such as an acrylic group, and an appropriate initiator. The latter is used to absorb the light energy and transform it into active species, such as radicals or ions, capable of inducing such reactions. Applications extend to general coatings for paper, board, wood, tapes, compact discs and holograms, inks, photoresists for imaging processes and adhesives for welding and sealing in electronic circuit boards. The photoinitiator is the key to the control of these processes and, in recent years, has seen many new developments. These include the need for water-soluble, co-reactive and polymeric structures with low migration rates, as well as cheaper UV/ visible sensitizers with enhanced speed. New and effective cationic systems are also on the scene and, although expensive, are attracting significant academic and commercial interest.     

Synthesis of an epoxy functionalized spiroorthocarbonate used as low shrinkage additive in cationic UV curing of an epoxy resin

The synthesis of an epoxy functionalized spiroorthocarbonate (SOC) is reported. The obtained monomer has been used a slow shrinkable additive in cationic UV curing of a commercially available dicycloepoxy resin. A polymer network flexibilization was evidenced by increasing the SOC content in the photocurable formulation. It has been demonstrated that SOC acts as shrinkage reduction additive reaching expansion on volume after polymerization in the presence of 10 wt% of the functionalized spiroorthocarbonate.     

Synthesis,rheological, and thermal properties of waterborne hyperbranched polyurethane acrylate dispersions for UV curable coatings

A series of waterborne hyperbranched polyurethane acrylate (WHUAs) ionomers used for ultraviolet curable waterborne coatings were synthesized. The average particle size of aqueous dispersion ranged between 48.2 and 75.3 nm at 0.05% concentration determined by laser light scattering. The effects of end group of WHUAs on rheological properties were investigated. WHUAs have much lower viscosity than EB2002, commercial linear waterborne polyurethane acrylate. Moreover, the glass transition temperature (T_g) evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry of samples showed that the influence of end capping by hard segment consisting of toluene diisocyanate–hydroxyethyl acrylate is significant due to the increase of crosslink density. All cured WHUA have higher glass transition temperatures than those of cured EB2002. The results of thermogravimetric analysis for cured WHUA films indicated good thermal stability with no appreciable weight loss until 200°C, and that an increase in the hard segment content provoked the increases in thermal degradation temperature. The activation energies were calculated by Flynn–Wall method to be 91.3, 114.3, and 139.7 kJ mol⁻¹ for cured WHUA62, WHUA44, and WHUA26, with the individual ratios of 6:2, 4:4, and 2:6 for salt-like group to double bond at the terminals, compared with 81.1 kJ mol⁻¹ of EB2002 in N₂ atmosphere, respectively.     

Synergistic modification by mercapto hyperbranched polysiloxane and functionalized graphene oxide on the surface of aramid fiber

With the purpose of improving the interfacial properties of aramid fibers reinforced rubber composites and enhancing the tensile strength of aramid fibers simultaneously, mercapto hyperbranched polysiloxane (HPSi) and functionalized graphene oxide (GO) were used to modify the surface of aramid fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and other characterization methods were performed to confirm the process of synergistic modification. Judging from the results of mechanical property tests, it could be acquired that the tensile strength of modified aramid fiber was increased by 16.8%, which could be ascribed to the wrapping effect of GO sheets. The interfacial properties were assessed by the pull-out tests of composites, and the results showed that the maximum pull-out force after synergistic surface modification was increased by 99.3%, which could be mainly related to additive reaction between double bonds and mercapto groups and the promotion of surface energy. More critically, during pull-out test, aramid fiber bundles might bring a part of shear stress into the grafted GO sheets, namely, GO sheets could convert fracture energy into interfacial energy, which would improve interfacial properties dramatically.     

UV‐curable acrylate‐based nanocomposites: effect of polyaniline additives on the curing performance

Composites of nanostructured polyaniline (PANI) conducting polymer in a polyester acrylate (PEA) formulation were made to provide conductive organic coatings. The effect of the presence and amount of PANI on the photocuring performance of the ultraviolet (UV)‐curable acrylate system has been investigated employing real‐time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as the main technique. Longer initial retardation of the radical polymerization and lower rates of cross‐linking reactions were observed for dispersions containing PANI of higher than 3wt.%. The PEA/PANI samples were more affected than the neat PEA resin by the changes in UV light intensity and oxygen accessibility during UV curing. Samples with higher PANI content, of up to 10wt.%, were tested and could be partially cured even at UV light intensities as low as 2 mW cm^?2 when the oxygen replenishment into the system was inhibited. Thermal analysis revealed that the presence of PANI did not induce any significant change in Tg of the cured system, meaning that early decrease in mobility and vitrification is not the reason for lower ultimate conversion of the dispersions with higher PANI content compared with the neat PEA resin. Curing under strong UV lamps, of 1.5 W cm^?2 intensity, made it possible to reach high degrees of conversion on films with similar mechanical properties independent of the PANI content. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New fluorinated acrylic monomers for the surface modification of UV‐curable systems

New fluorinated acrylates were synthesized and used as modifying additives for acrylic UV‐curable systems. Their chemical structure is: C_nF_2n+1 R—OCO—CHCH₂, where the linear perfluorinated chain contains from 4 to 10 carbon atoms, while R is a linear alkyl group containing or not a thioether group. Notwithstanding their very low concentration, the fluorinated monomers caused a dramatic change of the surface properties of the films, without changing their curing conditions and their bulk properties. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements showed that the monomers were able to concentrate selectively on the surfaces of the films, depending on their chemical structure and on the kind of substrate employed. The synthesis of the fluorinated monomers and the relationship between their chemical structure and the final surface properties of the UV‐cured films will be discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 77–87, 1999     

Effects of organic modifications of clay on the ultraviolet‐curing behavior and structure of a polyester‐acrylate/clay nanocomposite system

A pristine clay (Na⁺‐montmorillonite (MMT) and three different organoclays (20A‐MMT, vinylbenzyl dimethyldodecyl ammonium (VDA)‐MMT, and siloxane diamine ammonium (SDA)‐MMT) that originated from the pristine clay were used to prepare polyester‐acrylate (PEA)/clay nanocomposites by in situ ultraviolet (UV)‐curing. Except for the commercial organoclay (20A‐MMT), VDA‐MMT, and SDA‐MMT were prepared in this study by ion exchange method. The effects of organic modifications of the pristine clay on the UV‐curing behavior and structure of the nanocomposite system were investigated. The organic modifications of the clay affected considerably the UV‐curing behavior and structure of the nanocomposite system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface modification of polyethylene for improving the adhesion of a highly fluorinated UV-cured coating

The surface of low density polyethylene (LDPE) was modified by grafting a photoinitiator on it, after an Ar plasma treatment. The functionalisation was characterized by contact angle measurements, XPS analyses and AFM. The grafted LDPE was then coated with a UV-curable formulation based on highly fluorinated oligomers. Although the surface tension of the coating is very low, a good adhesion onto the substrate was obtained due to the surface treatment which was applied.     

Response surface analysis for understanding the effects of synthesis parameters on the microstructure of hyperbranched polyesters

Synthesis parameters including the time of condensation reaction, the monomer-to-core ratio (2, 2-bis (hydroxymethyl) propionic acid) (pseudo-generation) and the type of catalyst were changed methodically to investigate their effects on the microstructure of resulting hyperbranched polyesters (HBPEs). Response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to uncover the relationship between changing variables and the number of terminal hydroxyl groups of HBPSs by which the individual and interactive effects of the aforementioned synthesis parameters were explored. The degree of branching and molecular weight of the HBPEs were evaluated by titration of hydroxyl number and gel permeation chromatography, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses confirmed attachment of functional groups to the molecules. Interpretations based on RSM showed that increase of the number of the core molecules, which is equivalent To reduction of the pseudo-generation, narrows the molecular weight distribution of the prepared hyperbranched polyester; so that the lowest molecular weight distribution is obtained for the first pseudo-generation HBPEs with the monomer-to-core ratio of 3:1 and the average number of the terminal hydroxyl groups in between 6 and 8. The samples prepared by the sulfuric acid catalyst had the highest average number of terminal hydroxyl groups, at the same time narrowest molecular weight distribution.     

Polymeric photoinitiators based on side-chain benzoin methyl ether and tertiary amine moieties for fast UV curable coatings

The synthesis is reported of a new series of polymeric photoinitiators obtained by copolymerization of a-methylolbenzoin methyl ether acrylate (MBA) with different N,N-dialkylamino alkyl acrylates. The copolymers have been fully characterized and employed in the photoinitiated polymerization and crosslinking reactions of a standard acrylic formulation for clear curable coatings. The photoinitiation activity of the above systems has been measured by using microwave dielectrometry and differential photocalorimetry, and compared with that found for the corresponding low-molecular-weight models. The results clearly indicate that the copolymeric systems display a remarkable decrease of the induction period and an improved overall activity in the UV curing of the acrylic coatings. An interpretation of the experimental findings is also reported.     

ToF‐SIMS for the characterization of hyperbranched aliphatic polyesters: probing their molecular weight on surfaces based on principal component analysis (PCA)

A series of 2,2‐bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (Bis‐MPA) hyperbranched aliphatic polyesters with different molecular weights (generations) is analysed for the first time by time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS). The main negative and positive low‐mass fragments are identified in the fingerprint part of the spectra (m/z < 400) and are principally assigned to fragmentation of the Bis‐MPA repeating units. In addition, it is shown that the fragmentation pattern is highly affected by the functional end‐groups. This is illustrated for a phthalic acid end‐capped hyperbranched polymer and for an acetonide‐terminated dendrimer analog. Also, typical fragments assigned to the ethoxylated pentaerythritol core molecule are detected. These ions show decreasing intensities with increasing molecular weight. This intensity dependency on the generation is used to calibrate the molecular weight of hyperbranched polyesters on the surface. To obtain quantitative information, a principal component analysis (PCA) multivariate statistical method is applied to the ToF‐SIMS data. The influence of different normalization procedures prior to PCA calculation is tested, e.g. normalization to the total intensity, to the intensities of ions assigned to the Bis‐MPA repeating unit or to intensities of fragments due to the core molecule. It is shown that only one principal component (PC1) is needed to describe most of the variance between the samples. In addition, PC1 takes into account the generation effect. However, different relationships between the PC1 scores and the hyperbranched mass average molecular weights are observed depending on the normalization procedure used. Normalization of data set ion intensities by ion intensities from the core molecule allows linearization of the SIMS intensities versus the molecular weight and allows the hyperbranched polymers to be discriminated up to the highest generations. In addition, PCA applied to ToF‐SIMS data provides an extended interpretation of the spectra leading to further identification of the correlated mass peaks, such as those of the Bis‐MPA repeating unit (terminal, dendritic and linear) and those of the core molecule. Finally, the work presented demonstrates the extreme potential of the static ToF‐SIMS and PCA techniques in the analysis of dendritic molecules on solid surfaces. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Grafting of hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) onto waste tire rubber powder and its potential application as the curing agent for epoxy resin

To realize the high‐valued application of waste tire rubber (WTR), hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) were synthesized from the surface of WTR powders to endow its chemical reactivity. The hyperbranched PAMAM‐grafted WTR powders containing a large amount of amine groups on their surface were obtained through “divergent procedure.” First, methyl methacrylate‐grafted WTR powders (MMA‐g‐WTR) were prepared by ozone‐induced grafting polymerization. Afterwards, Michael reaction and subsequent amidation reactions were carried out repetitively to obtain hyperbranched PAMAM chains grafted from the surface of the MMA‐g‐WTR powders. The resulting hyperbranched PAMAM‐grafted WTR powders exhibit good dispersibility in water. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis demonstrate the successful grafting of hyperbranched PAMAM on WTR surface. The hyperbranched PAMAM‐grafted WTR powder could be utilize as curing agent and potential toughener for epoxy resin due to abundant amine groups and elastomeric feature of WTR. Differential scanning calorimetry shows that the hyperbranched PAMAM‐grafted WTR powders can be used as effective curing agent for epoxy resin. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pretreatment of water samples using UV irradiation-peroxodisulfate for the determination of total mercury

Potassium peroxodisulfate (14 g l⁻¹, 25 ml) has been observed to readily oxidize water under UV irradiation (30 W mercury arc tube), even at room temperature. The reaction is complete in 20 min, producing oxygen in stoichiometric amounts. The reaction was applied to pretreatment for the determination of total mercury by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS).The response of mercury(II) chloride by the UV irradiation method was higher than that by the standard permanganate method (95 °C, 2 h). The conversion efficiency of mercury by the UV irradiation method, the standard method and by non-treatment was found to be 100, 93.6 and 85.0%, respectively. The study is also applied to methylmercury, ethylmercury and phenylmercury chlorides.     

Solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of hydroxylated benzophenone UV absorbers in environmental water samples

A procedure for the determination of six derivatives of 2-hydroxybenzophenone, used as UV absorbers, in water samples is presented. Compounds were first concentrated using a solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge and then selectively determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using electrospray ionization (ESI). The effect of different parameters on the performance of concentration and determination steps is discussed. The highly polar and acidic 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone-5-sulfonic acid (BP-4) required the use of ammonium acetate as modifier during desorption of SPE cartridges and also to improve the performance of its separation in the LC column. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method provided limits of quantification from less than 1 to 32 ng L⁻¹, depending on the compound and the type of water sample. Recoveries from the SPE step (83-105%) remained unaffected by the nature of the matrix; however, the efficiency of electrospray ionization was compound and sample dependant. Real sample analysis reflected the presence of three of the six investigated species (BP-4, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, BP-3, and 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone, BP-1) in the aquatic environment, particularly in raw wastewater samples. In this latter matrix, BP-4 was the compound presenting the highest concentrations; moreover, it was poorly removed in sewage treatment plants and consequently it also appeared in river water.