Photopolymerization kinetics of UV-curable polyester powder coatings containing urethane methacrylate reactive diluents
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: A series of small molecule urethane methacrylates were synthesized and used as reactive diluents for UV-curable polyester powder coatings. A UV-curable polyester oligomer was prepared and formulated with the reactive diluents and a photoinitiator package. Kinetics studies were carried out using photo-differential scanning calorimetry (photo-DSC). The influence that the reactive diluent concentration, UV-light intensity, temperature, and atmosphere had on the reaction kinetics was investigated. Crosslinked samples that were analyzed via DSC showed that the glass transition temperature correlated well with the extent of conversion. In general, lower curing temperatures (i.e., ≤ 80°C) significantly reduced the conversion and polymerization rate. However, the use of a mono-functional reactive diluent facilitated much higher conversions than the UV-curable polyester control, even at just 5 wt% loading level. These findings suggest that reactive diluents can be used to improve the low temperature cure capability of UV-curable polyester powder coatings.
Institutions: University of Akron, Wichita State University
Language: English
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,090
OpenAlex ID: W4410218551