A study of the polymerization of acrylates using electron beam radiation

The formation of surface coatings by three difunctional acrylates and one trifunctional acrylate by polymerization induced by electron beam radiation is described. Physical testing (solvent resistance and pencil hardness test) indicates that the properties of the coatings change as they are exposed to increasing amounts of radiation. Fourier Transform Red-Photoacoustic Spectroscopy was used to measure the extent of double bond consumption under irradiation; it was found that reactive double bonds were consumed at relatively low doses (< 10 kGy) indicating that film properties are extensively affected by radiation induced reactions in the polyacrylate. A new reactive diluent, dibutyltin diacrylate, was shown to cure extremely rapidly to give hard coatings. (author)