Abstract
The effects of concentrations of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) on the gelation characteristics and the shrinkage properties of solventless polyester varnishes were studied. Activation energies for gelation at different concentrations (0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 5.0 phr) of MEKP were 56.2, 54.3, 53.9, 51.5, 49.4, 44.0, and 41.6 kJ/mole, respectively. The mechanism of gelation and the kinetic rate equation are proposed to define the possible reasons for the variation of the above-mentioned varnish properties in the presence of the catalyst.
