Synthesis and characterization of UV-cured epoxy acrylate resin with cyclic methacrylate as diluents

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects on material performance in the epoxy acrylate resin system owing to the existence of the different ring of the cyclic methacrylate. In this paper, cyclic methacrylate as diluents was added into epoxy acrylate (EA) resin by ultraviolet (UV)-cured polymerization to investigate the effects on material performance owing to the existence of the different rings. Design/methodology/approach EA and 1-adamantyl methacrylate were synthesized by traditional methods according to previous papers, respectively. After adding different cyclic methacrylate as diluents to the EA oligomers, the system was exposed to the UV-light for polymerization. Findings The hydrophobic properties of the cured materials were increased slightly because of the alkyl groups from the methacrylate. The thermal stabilities and mechanical properties of the resins were enhanced by the cyclic diluents with the hard segments. Meanwhile, the crosslink density of the polymer decreased with the bulky group like adamantly owing to its huge structure. Research limitations/implications The cyclic methacrylates were introduced into EA oligomers for decreasing the viscosity and increasing the materials performances, which could be recognized as new diluents applied in UV-cued polymerization. Originality/value The results of this study will be conducive to fabricate EA resins possessed with high thermal stabilities and mechanical properties by convenient UV-cured polymerization.

Investigation of viscoelastic properties and thermal behavior of photocurable epoxy acrylate nanocomposites

In this study, the dynamic-mechanical properties and thermal behavior of the nanocomposites of a photocurable epoxy-acrylate resin and CuO nanohybrid were determined. In order to improve the dispersion of CuO nanoparticles and prevention of nanoparticle migration to the surface coating, the surface of commercial nanoparticles was modified by triethoxymethylsilane (TEMS) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) as silane-coupling agents. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests were then performed on CuO-filled epoxy-acrylate resins to identify the loading effect on the properties of material. The thermal stability of nanocomposites was affected slightly after incorporation of CuO nanoparticles. DMA studies revealed that filling the CuO nanoparticles into epoxy-acrylate resin can produce a significant enhancement in storage modulus, as well as a shift in the glass transition temperature. The films reinforced with the modified CuO exhibit the most significant enhancements in properties.