UV-Radiation Curing of Adhesives

UV-radiation curing consists basically of a photo-initiated polymerization of multifunctional monomers that are converted into a tridimensional polymer network according to the following reaction scheme  

Another limitation of the UV technology in adhesive applications results from the fact that curing of the resin occurs only in the illuminated areas, so that at least one part of the assembly needs to be transparent to UV light. Moreover, for complexshaped tridimensional objeets, it will be difficult to harden the resin located in the shadowed areas. Both of these issues need to be addressed to widen the field of application of UV-curable adhesives. 

In this review article, the progress recently made in the development of UV-curable adhesives will be outlined, with respect to both the resin formulation and the characteristics of the photopolymer obtained. Special attention will be given to the basic chemistry 

Handbook of Adhesives and Surface Preparation, ed. Sina Ebnesajjad. DOI 10.1016/B978-1-4377-4461-3.10010-0 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 

This chapter has been reproduced from UV-Radiation Curing of Adhesives in Handbook of Adhesives and Sealants, Volume 2, Cognard 2006 Elsevier Ltd. 

Keywords Acrylates Crosslinking Dual cure Epoxides Glass laminates Interpenetrating polymer networks Isocyanates Photo initiated cationic polymerisation Photoinitiators Photopolymerisation Pressure sensitive adhesives Release coatings Structural adhesives Thiol/polyene UV radiation curing Vinyl ethers. 

Handbook of Adhesives and Sealants Volunte 2 P. Cognard (Editor) 

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