Synthesis and properties of UV curable polyurethane acrylates based on two different hydroxyethyl acrylates

Two kinds of UV curable polyurethane acrylate oligomers (PUPA and PUCA) were synthesized via the addition reaction between isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and polyethylene glycol monoacrylate (PEA₆) or polycaprolactone modified hydroxyethyl acrylate (PCLA₂). The structures of PUPA and PUCA were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and the thermal stability and dynamic mechanical thermal properties of their cured films were measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), respectively. The viscosity of the oligomers and mechanical properties of the cured films were also studied. The results show that both oligomers have narrow molecular weight distribution. The viscosity of PUPA is 2.310 Pa·s at 25 °C, while that of PUCA is up to 3.980 Pa·s. The UV cured PUPA and PUCA films have homogeneous phase structure, and the PUCA film shows higher glass transition temperature and storage modulus. Furthermore, the PUCA film possesses better mechanical properties than PUPA, while the latter shows better alkali resistance.