Cationic UV Curing of Bioderived Epoxy Furan-Based Coatings: Tailoring the Final Properties by In Situ Formation of Hybrid Network and Addition of Monofunctional Monomer

Biobased monomers are becoming essential to develop green products to substitute for petroleum-based materials. In this study, biobased monomers, such as furfuryl alcohol and 2,5-furandimethanol, are successfully functionalized with epoxy functional groups producing glycidyl furfuryl alcohol (GFA) and diglycidyl furfuryl alcohol (DGFA), respectively. Herein, DGFA is investigated as an innovative cationic UV-curable monomer for coating applications. An easy tailoring of the properties of the final UV-cured coatings is demonstrated by varying the ratio of DGFA:GFA or creating a hybrid coating by using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor of silica to form an inorganic network. Real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is used to monitor the cationic photopolymerization of DGFA formulations. Finally, glass transition, contact angle, thermal stability, and mechanical properties are investigated as a function of TEOS and GFA content in DGFA formulations. The thermal mechanical behavior is studied by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The thermal properties of the networks are analyzed by dynamic scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.