Study on Microstructure and Properties of the UV Curing Acrylic Epoxy/SiO2 Nanocomposite Coating

Abstract

This study is aimed at exploring the effects of SiO2 nanoparticles on the crosslinking and mechanical and thermal properties of UV curing acrylic epoxy coating. The curing polymerization process and thermal and mechanical properties of UV-curable acrylate epoxy system have been evaluated with or without the presence of SiO2 nanoparticles. To fabricate the UV curing acrylic epoxy/SiO2 nanocomposite coating, nano-SiO2 particles (0.5–5 wt.% by weight of resin) were added in the photo-curable system using sonication for 3 h. Various techniques for characterization have been used, such as FESEM (field emission scanning electron microscope), FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy), TGA (thermogravimetry analysis), gel fraction, and swelling degree analyses. FESEM data indicated that at the content of 2.5 wt.%, nanosilica was homogeneously dispersed in the coating procedure. However, once added 5 wt.%, large aggregation portions were found inside the coating matrices. Surprisingly, nano-SiO2 could play dual roles, as both UV absorbers and nanoreinforcers, in this nanocomposite coating. Besides, data from FTIR, gel fraction, and swelling degree analyses confirmed the role of SiO2 nanoparticles as UV absorbers that reduced the conversion performance of acrylate double bonds, thus increased slightly the swelling degree of coating. In addition, incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles (as nanofillers, at content of 2.5 wt.%) in the polymer matrix enhanced significantly the abrasion resistance and thermal stability of the coating, by 60% (from 98.3 to 158.4 lite/mil) and 9°C (from 348°C to 357°C), respectively.

Curing process, mechanical property and thermal stability of acrylic polyurethane/Fe2O3 nanocomposite coatings

“…As a result, the coating filled with Fe 2 O 3 NPs had better thermal stability compared to the coating without NPs. These results are similar to other NPs such as rutile TiO 2 [19], SiO 2 [7], etc.…”

“…Compared to microparticles in pigments, NPs exhibit superior performance even at small concentrations (e.g., 1 -5 wt.%) [1]. NPs have been incorporated into organic coatings to enhance various properties including weather durability [2][3][4], chemical resistance [5,6], mechanical strength [7,8], antimicrobial activity [8,9], anti-corrosion protection [10], and self-cleaning capabilities [11,12]. Among inorganic NPs, ferric oxide NPs could enhance mechanical properties, UV durability, chemical resistance, etc.…”

Photocurable acrylate epoxy/ZnO–Ag nanocomposite coating: fabrication, mechanical and antibacterial properties

“… 40 For nano-SiO 2 , their incorporation into the coating matrix (at 2.5 wt%) increased the curing conversion. 41 Thus, the effect of these nanoparticles on the crosslinking process of UV-curable coatings depends on the competition between their roles as UV-absorbents and photocatalysts as well.…”

Effect of silane‐modified SiO2@Ce3+ nanoparticles on the mechanical property and anti‐corrosion for steel of the epoxy coating

“…As reported, various inorganic nano-oxides (zirconi dioxide, titania, silica, nanotubes,...) have been used as nanocontainer for encapsulation of corrosion inhibitors. [17][18][19] Among these imorganic nanocontainers, silica nanocontainer is assumably the most promising candidate applied in the smart organic coating due to its dual functions: (i) as an effective filler at the nanoscale [20,21] , and (ii) as an excellent nano-sized container controllable with pH. [18] On this direction, we reported the effect of the novel Ce-loaded silica nanoparticles (SiO2@Ce 3+ ) in the epoxy nanocomposite coating on the anticorrosion protection of carbon steel.…”