Neena Ravindran

Effect of polymer composition on performance properties of maleate-vinyl ether donor-acceptor UV-curable systems

The effect of unsaturated polyester backbone composition on the properties of donor-acceptor-UV-cured coatings was explored. The polyesters were designed with similar molecular weights and levels of unsaturation, but with otherwise widely varying backbone compositions. UV-curable coatings were formulated with stoichiometric levels of triethylenglycol divinyl ether and a photoinitiator. The resulting coatings had a broad range of properties, which were found to correlate with the properties and compositions of the polyester backbone polymers. A relatively flexible backbone resulted in lower glass transition temperatures (Tg). The polymer Tg was found to influence the conversion of double bonds achieved during UV curing. Reaction kinetics were evaluated for the coating systems and the results confirmed that the Tg of the systems influenced the double bond conversion. Thermal stability and König pendulum hardness were also found to vary with the backbone composition of the constituent polyester.