This paper will review the current use of silica nanoparticles in UV-curable coatings and introduce effective approaches for delivering silica nanoparticles to UV-curable resin formulations without the drawbacks of current solvent- or monomer-based silica nanoparticle dispersions.
Nanoscale colloidal silicon dioxide particles are currently widely used in UV-curable systems for surface abrasion resistance and in nanocomposites, among other applications. The use of silica nanoparticles as they are currently available is not without drawbacks, however. The natural hydrophilic surface chemistry of the silica particle has low compatibility with most UV-curable resins and crosslinkers. Monodispersed silica nanoparticles are currently either provided in a volatile solvent that must be substituted or removed, or are provided in a narrow range of monomer. This paper will review the current use of silica nanoparticles in UV-curable coatings and introduce effective approaches that have been developed for delivering silica nanoparticles to UV-curable resin formulations without the drawbacks of current solvent- or monomer-based silica nanoparticle dispersions.