Synthesis and properties of polyurethane acrylate oligomer based on polycaprolactone diol

Abstract

The polycaprolactone diol (PCL diol) was prepared by ring-opening polymerization method, with hydroquinone bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether as the reactive initiator and ϵ-caprolactone as the monomer. The polyurethane acrylate (PUA) was prepared with the self-made PCL diol. Then, PUA was used to prepare the ultraviolet curable coatings. The structure and molecular weight of PCL diol was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel-permeation chromatography, and hydroxyl value titration. The performance of the cured coating film was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscope. The flexibility and hardness of the cured coating film were tested. The results showed that the narrow molecular weight PCL diol was successfully synthesized. The UV curing coating film had the optimal performance with a hardness of 3H, flexibility of 1.5 mm, abrasion resistance of 0.028 g−1, and adhesion of grade 1, all coating films showed good thermal properties.