Preliminary Studies on Formulation of UV Curable Waterborne Polyurethane Dispersion

Full-text: Environmental concerns over the use of harmful volatile organic solvents has fuelled researches towards waterborne products in which these solvents are replaced with water as the main dispersion medium. However, resulting waterborne products require more energy and time to cure compared to its solventborne counterpart. In attempt to reduce the curing time, UV curing technology will be utilised in the formulation of UV curable waterborne polyurethane dispersion (WPUD). Three sets of WPUD will be synthesized via prepolymer mixing method by varying its end-capping component, namely; hydroxyethylacrylate (HEA), hydroxymethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETIA). These formulations will then be mixed with photoinitiators and cured under UV light to test its curing parameters. (author)