Morphologies and applied properties of free radical/cationic UV‐cured CPUA/TMPTMA/CER composite films

A UV‐cured composite film was prepared by free free‐radical photopolymerization from a blend containing oligomer cycloaliphatic polyurethane acrylate (CPUA) and reactive diluent trimethylolpropane trimethaacrylate (TMPTMA) with the same weight (coded as UT) in the presence of free free‐radical photoinitiator Irgacure 754. It was proved to be a homogeneous system featuring only one phase by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cycloaliphatic epoxy resin (CER) was introduced to enhance mechanical properties of the UV‐cured UT composite film in the presence of cationic photoinitiator Irgacure 250, and a series of UV‐cured CPUA/TMPTMA/CER composite films with different component ratios were prepared by free radical/cationic hybrid UV UV‐curing technique. Results of conversion curves, SEM, and Fourier‐ transform infrared spectroscopy illustrated that UT was cured faster than CER, leading to dynamically asymmetric photopolymerization‐induced phase ‐separation behaviors. The thermal and mechanical properties were evaluated via thermal degradation analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, and stress–strain curves. Surface properties such as pencil hardness, pendulum hardness, shrinkage rate, contact angle, flexibility, and glossiness were also studied. All these measurements revealed that component ratios, intermolecular attractions, photopolymerization velocities, and viscosities had remarkably influenced on the morphologies and applied properties of UV‐cured composite films, and interpenetrating polymer network films had better comprehensive performances than other UV‐cured composite films with different microstructures. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1177–1185, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers