Synergistic Catalyst for Radiation Curable Coatings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiation curable coatings are inflexible, prone to high shrinkage, and inadequate in terms of adhesion and formability, particularly in rigid and flexible packaging applications, due to low reactivity of aliphatic epoxide groups and thermal polymerization issues with strong acid catalysts.
Innovation Solution
The use of a synergistic catalyst combination involving a phosphoric acid compound and a triflic acid catalyst to enhance the reaction rate and conversion of epoxidized vegetable oils with hydroxyl functional (meth)acrylates, forming (meth)acrylate functional polyether polyols, which improves adhesion and flexibility in radiation curable coating compositions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If strong acid catalysts are used to catalyze the reaction of epoxidized vegetable oils with hydroxyl functional compounds, then the reaction rate increases, but thermal polymerization occurs at high temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the catalyst system by introducing a synergistic combination of phosphoric acid compound and triflic acid catalyst. This combination allows the reaction to proceed at high conversion (99.9% epoxide conversion) while using reduced acid catalyst concentrations, thereby suppressing thermal polymerization that occurs with strong acid catalysts alone at high temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The phosphoric acid compound acts as an intermediary that enhances the effectiveness of the triflic acid catalyst. The epoxy phosphate intermediate formed during the reaction helps adhere the cured coating to the substrate and significantly enhances the catalyst's effectiveness, allowing lower catalyst concentrations to achieve high reaction rates without causing harmful thermal polymerization.
2Manufacturing precision
If high conversion of epoxide groups is achieved, then coating performance improves, but acid catalyst concentration must be increased which causes thermal polymerization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves high epoxide group conversion (99.9%) by changing the catalyst system parameters to a synergistic combination of phosphoric acid compound and triflic acid catalyst. This allows complete conversion without increasing acid catalyst concentration, thereby avoiding thermal polymerization that would otherwise occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The phosphoric acid compound and its reaction product (epoxy phosphate) serve as intermediaries that enable high conversion rates without requiring high acid catalyst concentrations. The epoxy phosphate specifically helps adhere the cured coating to the substrate while the phosphoric acid compound enhances catalyst effectiveness, allowing 99.9% conversion without thermal polymerization.
3Stability of the object's composition
If aliphatic epoxide groups are used in radiation curable coatings, then flexibility is improved, but reactivity is reduced making high conversion difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the catalytic parameters by introducing a synergistic catalyst combination that specifically enhances the reactivity of aliphatic epoxide groups. The phosphoric acid compound and triflic acid catalyst together enable high reaction rates and complete conversion (99.9%) of the less reactive aliphatic epoxide groups, maintaining flexibility while achieving high conversion.
Solution Approach 2:
The phosphoric acid compound acts as an intermediary that specifically activates the reaction between aliphatic epoxide groups and hydroxyl functional compounds. The epoxy phosphate intermediate formed enhances both the reaction rate and the final coating's adhesion to substrate, enabling high conversion of flexible aliphatic epoxide groups.
4Reliability
If acid catalyst concentration is reduced to prevent thermal polymerization, then thermal stability improves, but reaction rate and conversion decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the catalyst system parameters from a single strong acid catalyst to a synergistic combination of phosphoric acid compound and triflic acid catalyst. This combination achieves high reaction rates and complete conversion (99.9% epoxide conversion) while using reduced acid catalyst concentrations, thereby maintaining thermal stability and preventing thermal polymerization.
Solution Approach 2:
The phosphoric acid compound serves as an intermediary that amplifies the catalytic activity of the triflic acid catalyst. The epoxy phosphate intermediate formed during the reaction significantly enhances catalyst effectiveness, allowing the system to achieve high reaction rates at lower catalyst concentrations, thus maintaining thermal stability while preserving productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach increases epoxide group conversion from 90% to 99.9% at reduced acid catalyst concentrations, enhancing adhesion and flexibility, and reducing thermal polymerization risks, thereby improving the performance of radiation curable coatings for packaging applications.
Implementation Method 1
reacting an epoxidized vegetable oil with a phosphoric acid compound to form an epoxy phosphate, and then reacting the epoxy phosphate with a hydroxyl functional (meth)acrylate in the presence of an acid catalyst to form the (meth)acrylate functional polyether polyol
Implementation Method 2
The phosphate functionality of the epoxy phosphate helps adhere the radiation cured coating composition to the substrate
Implementation Method 3
Many currently available radiation curable coatings, such as those cured with ultra-violet ('UV') radiation or electron beam ('EB') radiation
Data Source
AI summary
Radiation curable coating compositions are disclosed. In some embodiments, the coating compositions are used to coat substrates such as packaging materials and the like for the storage of food and beverages. The coating compositions may have a (meth)acrylate functional polyether polyol prepared by reacting an epoxidized vegetable oil in the presence of a phosphoric acid compound to form an epoxy phosphate, and reacting the epoxy phosphate with a hydroxyl functional (meth)acrylatein the presence of an acid catalyst to form the(meth)acrylate functional polyether polyol.