Influence of a long‐side‐chain‐containing reactive diluent on the structure and mechanical properties of UV‐cured films

Abstract

AbstractThe dimethacrylate reactive diluent (HEMA‐DDSA), a long‐side‐chain‐containing reactive diluent, was prepared by reacting 2‐dodecen‐1‐ylsuccinic anhydride with two equivalents of hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Its structure was characterized by IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. This new diluent was added into the formulation of UV‐curable epoxy acrylate networks. Results show that the formulation with the addition of HEMA‐DDSA has massively reduced viscosity and shows several attractive properties of epoxy acrylate oligomers. The mechanical resistance of the films is dramatically enhanced with the incorporation of long alkyl groups derived from HEMA‐DDSA, the plastic deformation zone expands, thus decreasing the inner stress of the polymer structure. Moreover, the cured coatings have a higher glass transition temperature as the percentage of HEMA‐DDSA is increased up to 5 wt%. Due to the excellent integrated performance of the polymeric films, HEMA‐DDSA proved to be an effective reactive diluent, which is of potential interest for applications in high performance materials. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry