Effects of the amount and type of diol ring openers on the properties of oligolactide acrylates for UV-Curable printing inks

Abstract

This study aimed to synthesize low viscosity oligolactide acrylates for UV-curable inks from oligolactide diols. Firstly, low molecular weight oligolactide diols were prepared by ring opening reaction of L-lactide with diols. Oligolactide acrylates were then synthesized by functionalizing the oligolactide diols with acrylic acid. In this study, three diol ring openers having short and long alkyl chain length were used to investigate the effects of the amount and type of diols on the properties of the oligolactide acrylates. The obtained oligomers were characterized, and the viscosities of oligolactide acrylates were measured. Results showed that oligolactide acrylates were successfully synthesized in all cases of ring openers, as confirmed by 1 H-NMR (proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). An increase in the alkyl chain length of the ring openers resulted in oligomers with lower viscosity and a decrease in T g . Following that, the obtained oligolactide acrylates were employed for the formulation of UV-curable screen printing inks and their properties were investigated. Results showed that the inks formulated from oligomers with lower molecular weight exhibited better ink flow. Additionally, all ink films cured by UV radiation were very flexible with excellent adhesion, high impact resistance, and excellent water resistance.