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Babkin OE*
Doctor of Technical Sciences, Saint Petersburg State Institute of Film and Television, Russia
*Corresponding author: Babkin OE, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Saint Petersburg State Institute of Film and Television, Russia
Submission: September 21, 2020;Published: January 27, 2021
ISSN: 2770-6613 Volume1 Issue4
The theoretical basis for the creation of UV-curable materials is the postulates about the
nature of the physical and phase States of polymers [1]. The curing principle itself is based on
the ability of ultraviolet rays (UV rays) to initiate the polymerization reaction of unsaturated
compounds, and the principle of compounding UV-cured materials is based on the selection
of oligomers and monomers that can copolymerize to form a single polymer network
(matrix). Depending on the functional purpose of the material, the composition may contain
reinforcing additives, pigments and fillers that should not inhibit the polymerization process
and at the same time ensure the performance properties of coatings and products obtained
during the curing of the liquid composition. Thus, the matrix must be filled with functional
additives to the extent that it provides the necessary and sufficient properties of the product
without compromising the efficiency of the polymerization process in the volume of the
composition [2,3]. It is worth mentioning that the introduction of functional additives into the
UV-cured composition is not the only way to control the properties of the resulting coatings
and products. The geometry of film-forming molecules, primarily the method of packaging
the resulting macromolecules (fibrillar, globular), also makes an important contribution to
the formation of the properties of products obtained by UV–curing technology. In particular,
the packing density will determine such properties of coatings as vapor permeability, water
and moisture absorption [4-6]. When compounding pigmented systems, the selection of a
mixture of film-forming agents is carried out, including taking into account the functionality
of the molecules and the nature of the side substituents, which will determine the degree of
regularity of macromolecules and the structure of the matrix, which should ensure, on the one
hand, the strength characteristics of the coating, on the other, the stability of the system filled
with pigment [3,7].
An important factor determining the coating technology is the viscosity of the UV-cured
composition, which is additively determined by the intrinsic viscosity of the film-forming
agents present in the mixture – and, in fact, by their molecular weight and molecular structure.
Viscosity is also a determining factor in the preparation of UV-reinforced curable systems since
full wettability of the filler with the composition must be ensured [8]. Based on the formulated
regularities for compounding UV-curable compositions, practical recommendations for
the use of UV-curable materials in various fields are presented: protective coatings (anticorrosion,
fire-resistant, hydrophobic, vandal-proof); decorative coatings (pigmented, with
the effect of mother-of-pearl, with a textured surface); functional coatings and products
(medical, industrial marking (for optical fibers), with the function of radiation protection,
etc.) and guidelines for the organization of the technological process of applying and curing
liquid UV-polymerizing compositions.
© 2021 Babkin OE. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.