Enhancing the Thermal Resistance of UV-Curable Resin Using (3-Thiopropyl)polysilsesquioxane

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Photocurable urethane-acrylate resins are widely used in coatings.
• Enhancing thermal stability and mechanical properties of these resins is crucial for demanding applications.
• Organosilicon compounds offer unique properties for material modification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel composite materials by modifying a photocurable urethane-acrylate resin with (3-thiopropyl)polysilsesquioxane (SSQ-SH).
• To investigate the impact of SSQ-SH modification on the thermal, mechanical, and photorheological properties of the resin.
• To evaluate the potential of these new composites in industrial coating applications.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of composites via thiol-ene "click" reaction between SSQ-SH and Ebecryl 1271® resin.
• Characterization using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FT-IR, differential scanning calorimetry (Photo-DSC), photoreological measurements, and water contact angle (WCA) tests.
• Systematic variation of SSQ-SH content (up to 50 wt%) to study its effect on material properties.

Main Results:

• SSQ-SH modification significantly enhanced thermal stability, with a 20.4 °C increase in the 5% mass loss temperature for 50 wt% SSQ-SH composite.
• Composites containing 50 wt% SSQ-SH exhibited faster crosslinking kinetics compared to the unmodified resin, confirmed by photorheological analysis.
• Water contact angle measurements indicated potential changes in surface properties due to SSQ-SH incorporation.

Conclusions:

• The developed methodology successfully created novel urethane-acrylate composites with improved thermal properties and faster curing.
• The incorporation of (3-thiopropyl)polysilsesquioxane (SSQ-SH) is a promising strategy for enhancing photocurable resins.
• These advanced composites hold significant potential for diverse industrial coating applications.