A Simple Method for the Reinforcement of UV‐Cured Coatings via Sol‐Gel Photopolymerization

Abstract

Abstract A difunctional methacrylate oligomer was mixed with a variable amount of a MAPTMS precursor in the presence of both a radical and a cationic photoinitiator. The simultaneous photolysis of both photosensitive molecules upon UV irradiation allowed the single‐step generation of a type‐II polymethacrylate/polysiloxane nanocomposite film. Methacrylate and methoxysilyl conversions during irradiation were efficiently monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The inorganic structure of the resulting silica‐based hybrid films was characterized using 29 Si solid‐state NMR. Finally, the reinforcement ability of the resulting hybrid films was also assessed by using a unique range of characterization techniques: DMA, scratch test, and nanoindentation. magnified image