Characterisation of hydrolysed alkoxysilanes and zirconiumalkoxides for the development of UV-curable scratch resistant coatings

In this paper the development of a new scratch resistant UV-curable coating system is described. The material can be applied to optical data discs by spin coating. The coating shows superior adhesion even without priming and good weathering performance especially on polycarbonate. The material is prepared from Zr(OPr)4 and 3-Methacryloxi-propyltrialkoxysilanes via sol-gel processing. Complexation of Zr(OPr)4 with methacrylic acid yields complexes which can be copolymerized with the prehydrolyzed silane. The hydrolysis and self-condensation of the trialkoxysilanes were studied under different conditions. The consumption of water was studied by Karl-Fischer titration and the formation of oligomeric and polymeric species