Are you using the best photoinitiator for the curing of your coatings?

Are you using the best photoinitiator for the curing of your coatings?

Wednesday, 14 September, 2022

In the coatings sector, one of the current trends is geared towards 100% solid UV curing systems, given that they have certain advantages compared to other systems:

Fast curing and quick deployment of the end product
No VOC emissions as they do not contain solvents
High quality products, which present high resistances
They avoid the use of high temperatures for curing a surface

Why is the choice of photoinitiator so important in these systems?

UV curing consists of initiating polymerisation through light energy, of both monomers and oligomers, obtaining the desired three-dimensional structure in just a few seconds.

For this to occur, photoinitiators must convert ultraviolet energy into chemical energy via the generation of free radicals or cations.

These reactive species interact with the monomers and oligomers to initiate the formation of polymers. Thus, we obtain a coating that is resistant and insoluble from a liquid and soluble formulation in a matter of seconds.

As we can see, the choice of photoinitiator is crucial, as it is a key element in this type of process. It controls the degree of reaction initiation and the penetration of incident light.

Our recommendations for photoinitiators

Comindex has a wide range of photoinitiators from our represented company Double Bond Chemical. Below, we present the most common photoinitiators that have REACH registration:

Doublecure 173. A very reactive liquid photoinitiator that stands out in transparent coatings due to its low yellowing property. Its main applications are inks and coatings for wood, metal, plastics and UV-cured adhesives.
Doublecure 184. This photoinitiator yellows less than Doublecure 173 and exhibits lower sensitivity to air inhibition during the curing process. The recommended applications are also the same – inks and coatings for wood, metal, plastics and UV-cured adhesives.
Doublecure 1819. When we have a pigmented coating, especially if it is white, we recommend this photoinitiator. It also allows the curing of thick layers due to its high absorption. Its fields of application are transparent or pigmented coatings on wood, metal, plastic, paper and optical fibres, and also printing inks.

For further information about these products, please contact our Technical Advisory Team.

URL: http://www.dbc.com.tw/index.php

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