Development of Bio-Based UV-Curable Acrylic Resins

Today, one of the biggest drivers of innovation in industries is sustainability. With declining petroleum reserves and growing environmental awareness regarding waste disposal and climate change, the development of bio-based, environmentally friendly, health-safe, and solvent-free clean technologies is of great importance. Additionally, to prevent potential hazards from flammability during transport of solvent-containing products and problems that may occur during application, research into the production of solvent-free or water-based products has increased. Technologically advanced products that are efficient, fast, and easy to apply are seeing strong market demand. One of these is UV (ultraviolet) light technology. Products cured under UV exposure contain functional acrylate groups that can react in the presence of a photoinitiator. The functional acrylate groups react with each other in seconds in the presence of a photoinitiator, forming thermoset cross-linked structures. The global market, which was worth USD 4.6 billion in 2018, is projected to reach USD 7.3 billion by 2026. UV technology is expected to provide significant benefits to the varnish and paint industries in particular, as it will reduce the long drying times required during application. Additionally, due to the ease of application and rapid curing rates of UV-curable products, their use in three-dimensional (3D) laser printers is rapidly increasing as a new technology [1-5]. In a study found in the literature on this subject, UV-curable resins were synthesized through a Diels-Alder reaction between tung oil and maleic anhydride (MA), followed by reaction with 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) or pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA), and final modification with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) [6]. [caption id="attachment_133049" align="aligncenter"] Figure 1. Synthesis and theoretical structure of MAT1 and MAT2 [6].[/caption][caption id="attachment_133437" align="aligncenter"] Figure 3. Synthesis route and theoretical structure of HG-MAT and PG-MAT [6].[/caption] According to the study results, the resins rapidly hardened under UV irradiation, and the cured films exhibited excellent thermal stability, good adhesion, acid resistance, and boiling water resistance [6]. Within İzel Kimya, alongside products such as alkyd, acrylic, polyester, and epoxy hardeners used in the coatings industry, research is being conducted on the development of acrylic-modified resins from bio-based oils or fatty acids that can be cured with UV and have low solvent content (low VOC) or are solvent-free, in order to minimize harm to the environment and human health. References: [1] Zhongkai, W., Mitra, S. G., Chuanbing, T. (2020) Sustainable polymers from biomass: Bridging chemistry with materials and processing, Progress in Polymer Science, Volume 101. [2] Papageorgiou, G. Z. (2018). Thinking Green: Sustainable Polymers from Renewable Resources. Polymers, 10(9), 952. [3] Zhu, Yunqing & Romain, Charles & Williams, Charlotte. (2016). Sustainable polymers from renewable resources. Nature. 540. 354-362. 10.1038/nature21001. [4] https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/uvcurable- resins-market-1324.html [5] Haoyuan Q., Ting Z., Hang X., Shen L., Jun N., Xiaoqun Z., (2020) Photo-curing 3D printing technique and its challenges, Bioactive Materials, Volume 5, Issue 1. [6] Huang, Y., Ye, G., Yang, J., (2015). Synthesis and properties of UV-curable acrylate functionalized tung oil based resins via Diels–Alder reaction, Progress in Organic Coatings, 78, 28-34.

Dr. Cemil Dizman Research and Development Manager İzel Kimya

Dr. Elif Cerrahoğlu Kaçakgil Research and Development Manager İzel Kimya