Recent Investigations Into Aqueous Radiation-Curable Systems

The original idea behind radiation curing—the in-situ polymerization of a solventfree
coating material by high-energy radiation—ran up against two technical
problems:

o the low molecular components of the systems used
o the lack of volumetric shrinkage in 100%-systems

Wood varnishes have to exhibit volumetric shrinkage to be able to enhance the
surface structure of the wood. To make this possible, the viscosity of the varnish
has to be reduced with some form of solvent that evaporates from the film once
the coating has been applied. For environmental reasons, organic compounds are
undesirable as solvents. Water on the other hand offers a promising alternative