Electron beam curing of acrylic oligomers

Abstract

The electron-beam curing process of acrylic oligomers, with and without γ-Fe 2O 3 pigment filler and blended linear polymer, was investigated in terms of molecular structure and reaction mechanism. The polymerized fraction of trimethylolpropane-triacrylate (TMPTA) oligomers increases with increasingly total dose, and is independent of the dose rate. Since the reaction rate is linearly dependent on the dose rate, the reaction mechanism involves monomolecular termination. The reaction rate does not depend on the number of functional groups of the oligomer at low doses, but above 0.3 Mrad the rate is slower for oligomers of higher functionality. A gel is formed more readily upon curing of a polyfunctional than a monofunctional oligomer, especially at high conversion to polymer; the resulting loss of flexibility of the polymer chains slows the reaction. Decrease of the molecular weight per functional group results in lower conversion; this is also due to the loss of chain flexibility, which is indicated as well by a higher glass-transition temperature. Modification of the acrylate oligomers with urethane results in more effective cross-linking reactions because of the more rigid molecular chains. Addition of γ-Fe 2O 3 pigment reduces the reaction rate very little, but has the effect of providing added structural integrity, as indicated by the decrease of solvent-extractable material and the improvement of anti-abrasion properties. However, the flexibility of the coating and its adhesion to a PET base film are diminished. To increase the flexibility, linear polyvinylchloride and/or polyurethane were added to the acrylic oligomers. Final conversion to polymer was nearly 100 per cent, and a higher elastic modulus and better anti-abrasion properties were realized.