Bio-Based Furanic Di(meth)acrylates as Reactive Diluents for UV Curable Coatings: Synthesis and Coating Evaluation
Jingbo Wu, Yiqiu Qian, Catherine A. Sutton, John J. La Scala, Dean C. Webster, Mukund P. Sibi
Abstract
A series of photocurable di(meth)acrylates from asymmetric and symmetric furan-based diols were prepared in good yields and evaluated for use as reactive diluents in UV-curable coatings. The furan-based di(meth)acrylates were found to have viscosities of ca. 9–91 mPa·s at 20 °C and were used as reactive diluents with a commonly used urethane acrylate resin to prepare photopolymerizable coating systems. The coating formulations were cured using UV light, and properties such as solvent resistance, hardness, impact strength, and adhesion were evaluated. The thermal properties of the coatings were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Dynamic mechanical analysis was used to determine the viscoelastic properties of the coatings. Nanoindentation experiments were performed to evaluate the modulus of elasticity and hardness of the coatings. In general, the coatings containing the furan-based (meth)acrylates had high hardness, elastic modulus, and glass transition temperature.