Preparation and properties of polymerizable silica hybrid nanoparticles with tertiary amine structure

Abstract

To increase the photopolymerization rate and improve the properties of UV coatings, polymerizable silica hybrid nanoparticles with tertiary amine structure were prepared. Organic compound with isocyanate group was first grafted onto the surface of nanosilica by reaction of nanosilica with isophorone diisocyanate, then the nanosilica bearing isocyanate group reacted with N,N-di(3-propionic acid, 1,4,7-trimethyl-3,6-dioxaoctane-8-yl acrylate, ester) ethanolamine synthesized from tripropylene glycol diacrylate and ethanolamine. The preparation was characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the organic compounds grafted onto the silica decomposed from 256 °C to 650 °C and the grafting percentage based on nanosilica was 105%. The morphology analysis of nanosilica and modified silica by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) indicated that the silica kept nanosized scale after modification, while the nanosilica dispersion was improved and formation of agglomerates unlikely. Determination of viscosities of coatings with modified nanosilica, it was found that viscosities of the coatings decreased in comparison with the viscosities of coatings with unmodified nanosilica. Compared with pure organic coating, the photopolymerization rate of coatings were faster when modified nanosilica was used from 1 wt% to 5 wt%, but slower when the loadings of modified nanosilica was 7 wt% because co-initiating effects of tertiary amine compound grafted on nanosilica counterbalanced the effects of UV scattering by silica on photopolymerization rate. The hardness and abrasive resistance of cured films also increased and improvement degree was different when the various amounts of modified nanosilica were used.