Characterization of UV-cured polyester acrylate films containing acrylate functional polydimethylsiloxane

Acrylate functional polydimethylsiloxane (AF-PDMS) was tested as a reactive additive in UV-curable coating formulations. Pencil hardness, solvent resistance, and gloss of the UV-cured films were measured to study the influence of AF-PDMS content on coating properties. Depth-profile analysis by FTIR-ATR and Raman spectroscopy was also performed to investigate the effect of AF-PDMS on the behavior of film formation during UV curing. The kinetics of photopolymerization were monitored by photo differential scanning calorimetry (photo-DSC). Our results show that AF-PDMS containing coating formulations are very sensitive to oxygen inhibition, so that an inert environment such as nitrogen purging is required to avoid coating defects.