Radiation curing: coatings and composites

The initial experiments conducted in the late 1960's at Radiation Dynamics, Inc. (now IBA Industrial, Inc.) showed that by removing the pigment from a radiation curable coating formulation, the same binder system could be used as a matrix system for electron beam (EB) cured fiber reinforced composites. Recently, the binder systems used for EB curable coatings have also been successfully used (without pigments) as the matrices for EB and X-ray cured fiber composites. Insights gained from the development of coatings were translated into desirable properties for matrix materials. For example, understanding the surface wetting characteristics of a coating facilitated the development of a matrix that would wet fibers; the development of coatings that would adhere to rigid substrates as metal while being bent, as for coil coatings, and which would exhibit impact resistance when cured on a metal also imparted impact resistance to cured composite materials. Thermal analyses conducted on the coating binder cured at low energies were consistent with analyses performed on thick cross-sections as used for matrices. The configuration of the final product then dictated the modality of curing, be it low-energy EB for coatings or higher energy EB or X-ray curing for composites. In industrial radiation chemistry, one deals with monomers and oligomers (similar to 10(2) and similar to 10(3) to 10(4) Daltons molecular weight, respectively). Thus, one can approach the development of coating binders or matrix systems as one would approach the synthesis of organic polymers. The desired final material is a fully cured and cross-linked polymer. In contrast, concepts involved in "formulating" are often derived from dealing with high molecular weight polymers (similar to 10(5) + Daltons) in which intense mechanical mixing is used to bring different ingredients together. When synthesizing a radiation curable coating or matrix system, greater attention is given to microphase compatibility as reflected in the microhomogeneity of the entire material