Studies on the synthesis of acrylamidomethyl cellulose ester and its application in UV curable surface coatings induced by free radical photoinitiator. Part 1: Acrylamidomethyl cellulose acetate

This paper reports on the development of cellulose derivatives, which can undergo cross linking on exposure to UV radiation. To achieve this, cellulose acetate was reacted with N-methylol-acrylamide (NMA) in homogeneous phase catalyzed by acids. Analysis of computer aided statistically designed experiments showed that the NMA concentration and reaction temperature played a predominant role in the acrylamidomethylation process. FTIR spectroscopy and 13C NMR were employed to confirm the formation of the acrylamidomethyl cellulose acetate. The acrylamiomethyl cellulose acetate (AMCA) so obtained was employed in the UV curable formulations. The UV curable formulations contained AMCA, Photoinitiator (Irgacure 184), multifunctional acrylic monomer (Trimethylolpropane Triacrylate), epoxy acrylate (EBECRYL 600) and N,N-Dimethylacrylamide. A Central Composite Design (CCD) was adopted to collect and interpret data. Properties of the surface coatings were determined. The Pendulum Hardness and Elongation of the UV cured films remain unimpaired by the addition of the polymerizable cellulose ester. A small increase in water absorption was observed. The investigation showed that all the cured films have high gel content and a good adhesion to wood.