Optical fibers coating requirements

Traditionally, UV curable polymers have been utilized as coatings for wood and vinyl floors, but their applications have increased dramatically over the last twenty years to encompass many diverse areas, including optical fiber coatings (7), adhesives (2), disc replications (3-5), and microelectronics (6). This widespread use of UV cross-linked systems is attributed to their rapid, energy efficient curing and their solvent free, one piece formulations. Typically, UV curable systems require only a small fraction of the power normally utilized in thermally cured systems and their solvent free nature offers an environmentally safer alternative. 

A qualitative method for determining diesel oil in water has been proposed that is based on changes in the internal reflection of an optical fiber coated with an organophilic compound caused by the presence of hydrocarbons. The method does not require any sample preparation but is limited to relatively high... 

GTP is a safe operation. A runaway polymerization can be quickly quenched with a protonic solvent. Since the group transfer polymerization goes to completion, no unwanted toxic monomer remains the silicone group on the living end after hydroxylation is removed as inactive siloxane. The living polymer in GTP is costlier than traditional polymerization techniques because of the stringent reaction conditions and requirements for pure and dry monomers and solvents. It can be used in fabrication of silicon chips, coating of optical fibers, etc. 

Acrylated oligomers can be divided into three main classes polyester acrylates, epoxy acrylates, and urethane acrylates. Urethane acrylates are an especially important commercial class of oligomers. Applications Include binders for magnetic media, vehicles for inks, and coatings for vinyl floor tiles, optical fibers, and paper. Each application has certain performance requirements that must be met by the urethane oligomer. This paper will discuss the effect of urethane acrylate composition on end properties. 

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