Oxygen Inhibition and Coating Thickness Effects on Uv Radiation Curing of Weatherfast Clearcoats Studied by Photo-DSC.

Radiation curing is an environmentally-friendly technology. Furthermore, radiation curing is a faster, energy saving and more efficient industrial process than the heat-curable process. One of the most important requirements for the widespread application of UV curable coatings in the coating industry is that they are stable vs. atmospheric degradation. Today's state of the art in oxidative drying and thermosetting coatings is the use of light stabilizers to protect polymers vs. the damage of outdoor exposure. Oxygen has a detrimental effect on the cure response of free radical systems, especially in thin-film coatings. Differential photocalorimetry (photo-DSC) was used to investigate the oxygen effect and the use of light stabilizers on UV curing of photocurable formulations based on acrylate materials. Coating thickness influence was also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]