Successful UV-Induced RICFP of Epoxy-Composites

The UV-curing of epoxy monomers by cationic photopolymerization is a powerful method for the production of polymer materials. The limit of film thickness in cationic photopolymerization of epoxy monomers has been recently overcome by introducing a novel radical induced cationic frontal polymerization (RICFP) system within this research group. The possibility to cure epoxides in bulk by UV-light promoted here presents the novel approach to photocured composites. In the present work, the recently established RICFP system is applied on SiO2-filled epoxy formulations based on bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether. The influence of filler content on frontal propagation is examined in RICFP experiments. The composite materials are also investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis to determine mechanical properties of the frontally polymerized products.