Synthesis and properties of waterborne UV‐curable polydimethylsiloxane‐based polyurethane oligomers: UV‐cured film with excellent water resistance and thermostability

This paper designed and synthesized a series of waterborne UV-curable polydimethylsiloxane‐based polyurethane oligomers which contain polydimethylsiloxane segment in the end of the main chain, a plurality of double bonds in the side chain and two kinds of hydrophilic groups including nonionic polyethylene glycol with low molecular weight and ionic quaternary ammonium salt groups. The unique structure endowed not only the oligomer with an excellent water solubility, but also the UV-cured film with hydrophobicity, thermostability and mechanical properties. The prepared oligomers could form a stable white emulsion and had excellent photopolymerization capability, and their conversions of double bonds were all over 92%. The UV-cured film containing long chain polydimethylsiloxane exhibited better hydrophobicity, heat resistance and tensile strength. The polydimethylsiloxane segment located in the end of the oligomer molecular chain was more conducive to its enrichment in the surface of the cured films and improving of the hydrophobicity of the cured films. The water absorption, surface water contact angle and the initial decomposition temperature (T5%) of the obtained UV-cured films were 2.7%, 91 and 301 °C, respectively.