RELEASE OF PHOTOINITIATOR FRAGMENTS FROM UV-CURED FURNITURE COATINGS

Radiation cured furniture coatings for indoor use have often been crit icized for strong odor. For a better understanding of the emission cha racteristics, the release of volatile organic compounds from some spec ially manufactured furniture was studied in 1 m(3) climate chambers. S pecial attention was given to the detection of photoinitiator fragment s, which can significantly contribute to the pollution of indoor air. It was shown that the fragmentation products contributed 20-60% to the total emission, which was typically found in a range of 100 mu g/m(3) to 250 mu g/m(3) within the testing period of about 600 hr. One main compound was the strongly odorous benzaldehyde that is generated by ma ny applied photoinitiators via alpha-cleavage. It was also observed th at the curing time has a strong effect on the emission potential.