Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
694103 | Progress in Organic Coatings | 2007 | 6 Pages |
For UV curable coatings, the effect of the type of photoinitiator and of the photoinitiator content on surface properties has been studied. Increasing photoinitiator concentrations yielded higher acrylate conversion but a lowering of surface hardness. Thus, curing under oxygen-free conditions with 2 wt.% photoinitiator should be applied rather than 6 wt.% photoinitiator for irradiation in air. Compared to nanocomposite materials, UV-cured polyacrylate coatings reinforced by silica nanoparticles and corundum microparticles exhibit markedly improved scratch and abrasion resistance. By using various grades of corundum, a synergetic effect between nano- and microparticles has been observed. These nano/micro-hybrid composite materials are recommended as clear coat for parquet and flooring applications.Where appropriate, matting of reinforced acrylate coatings was performed by curing with the combination of a xenon excimer lamp (172 nm photons) and a mercury arc lamp. This dual lamp set-up allows obtaining gloss levels from 1 to 20 units (at 60°) depending on the acrylate formulation and on the curing conditions.