Development of Polymer Chemistry Experiment Materials using a UV-curable Resin: Application to a Student Experiment on the Photopolymerization Reaction

Abstract

UV-curable resins are produced by the reaction of radical polymerization initiators with a monomer having a reactive part, and irradiation of these resins with ultraviolet light leads to the formation of stable polymers. UV-curable resins have been developed for use in a wide range of industrial applications such as adhesives, coating materials, and UV inks. Polymer chemistry in high schools simply covers basic reactions, compounds and their historic backgrounds, and synthetic experiments including problems on formaldehyde synthesis and heating. In this study, polymerization reaction was examined, focusing on light-irradiated polymerization reaction without solvents, and in so doing, using less toxic reagents. After the addition of a small amount of initiator to various kinds of monomers, it was observed that the reaction occurred at a high temperature. However, by utilizing simple and easy operations such as irradiating the resin with light for several minutes, students could obtain a stable cured product. In addition, the devised polymer synthesis could be performed by a large number of students, using safe reaction conditions. Furthermore, in this study, the effectiveness of the novel polymer chemistry experiment materials and the degree of student achievement from performing polymer chemistry experiments in class were evaluated and confirmed.