Preparation of a UV Curable Coating Modified by Several Inorganic Particles

Abstract

A UV curable coating modified by several inorganic particles was prepared and characterized. Several kinds of inorganic particles including glass powder, mica, alumina, talcum powder and polyimide were introduced to epoxy acrylate (EA) as fillers and mixed with reactive diluent, photoinitiators, and other additives to obtain an organic-inorganic ultraviolet (UV) curable coating. Different kinds of inorganic powders were mixed in proportion to the formula and ground in a ball mill for 16 h to obtain smaller particles. The particle size and morphology of inorganic powders were characterized by laser particle size analyzer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the particle size of inorganic powders was reduced effectively after ball-milled. The morphology of the synthesized UV curable organic-inorganic composite coating was observed, and the mechanical and thermal properties of the coating were tested. Pure organic EA coating without the addition of inorganic particles was also characterized as controls. The distribution of inorganic particles in the coating was homogeneous and the surface of the cured coating was smooth. The results of mechanical properties tests showed that the addition of inorganic particles improved the hardness of the coating, but the effect on adhesion and flexibility was not significant. And the TGA curves showed that the thermal stability of the coating modified by inorganic particles was significantly improved compared with the pure organic coating.