UV radiation curing of surface coatings based on ENR-cycloaliphatic diepoxide-glycidyl methacrylate system by cationic photoinitiators-optimization of process variables through response surface methodology

This paper reports on the results of the ultraviolet curing of surface coat ings based on cycloaliphatic diepoxide-epoxidized natural rubber (ENR)-glyc idyl methacrylate (GMA) system with a cationic photoinitiator. The results reported in our earlier publication(1) showed that ENR acts as a toughening agent for the other wise brittle epoxy resin, and that GMA functions as a crosslinking agent in the system and promotes adhesion between the elastome ric domain and the resin matrix. In this paper, the results of the effect o f operating variables on the properties of the cured film are reported. Res ponse surface methodology (RSM) was employed to collect data and to establi sh the functional relationships between operating variables and performance characteristics of the cured coatings. The data are represented in three-d imensional response surface plots. These plots not only enable the interpre tation of results, but also allow the determination of the optimum treatmen t combinations required to maximize the properties of the surface coatings.