Synthesis and characteristics of photoactive‐hydrogenated rosin epoxy methacrylate for pressure sensitive adhesives

Abstract

Abstract Hydrogenated rosin epoxy methacrylate (HREM), based on hydrogenated rosin and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), was synthesized for use as an advanced tackifier in the UV‐crosslinking pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) system. The HREM, as a tackifier, contained UV‐curing sites; thus, allowed photopolymerization to occur by UV irradiation. This UV‐curable tackifier, HREM, can improve the curing rate and adhesion performance of UV‐crosslinking PSAs. The characteristics of HREM were analyzed by GPC and DSC and its synthetic mechanism studied using FTIR and 1 H NMR; the characteristic peaks of hydrogenated rosin and GMA vanished, but new peaks for HREM appeared. The PDI and the T g by DSC were 1 and −25.6°C, respectively. The photopolymerization of HREM was studied using photo‐DSC. Heat flow was observed during UV irradiation, and the curing rate and conversion both increased with rising photoinitiator content. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009