In-line determination of the conversion in acrylate coatings after UV curing using near-infrared reflection spectroscopy

Near-infrared (NIR) reflection spectroscopy was used to determine the conversion of acrylic double bonds after UV photopolymerization. Quantitative analysis of the spectra was performed with chemometric methods using FTIR spectroscopy for calibration. Moreover, it was shown that the calibration of the PLS algorithm can also be performed directly to specific properties of the coatings such as their hardness which responds extremely sensitively even to small changes of the conversion. In-line monitoring of the conversion by NIR spectroscopy was carried out for acrylate coatings with a thickness of some micrometers applied to polymer foils and panels and for thick layers of UV-curable adhesives on the basis of acrylic hot-melts. The effect of changes of the irradiation dose, the emission spectrum of the UV source and other parameters on the conversion was studied.