Water Transport and Dissushion in Radiation Cured Coatings and Adhesives

Water absorption and diffusion in UV-cured polymer films were monitored and correlated with UVcurable resin composition and cured film's glass transition temperature. A spectroscopic method for the real-time, direct monitoring of acid and water diffusion in polymer films and coatings was developed. The method was used to monitor water diffusion in photocurable aliphatic poly(urethane acrylate) coatings. The diffusion coefficients of water in photocured poly(urethane acrylate) films found by this technique ranged from 5x 10.11 /sec. These values are comparable to those deduced by other methods.