Synthesis of a novel UV-curable prepolymer 1,3-bis[(3-ethyl-3-methoxyoxetane)propyl]tetramethyldisiloxane and study on its UV-curing properties

Precursor 3-ethyl-3-hydroxymethyloxetane was synthesized with trihydroxypropane and diethyl carbonate as the main raw materials. Intermediate 3-ethyl-3-allylmethoxyoxetane was synthesized with 3-ethyl-3-hydroxymethyloxetane and allyl bromide. Prepolymer 1,3-bis[(3-ethyl-3-methoxyoxetane)propyl]tetramethyldisiloxane was synthesized with 3-ethyl-3-allylmethoxyoxetane and 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane. Cationic photoinitiator triarylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate of 3 wt% was added to the prepolymer, and a novel kind of photosensitive resin was prepared. Structures of the compounds obtained at individual stages of the synthesis were analyzed and characterized by FTIR and ¹H-NMR. Photo-DSC analysis showed that the prepolymer had excellent photosensitivity. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) revealed that the ultraviolet (UV)-cured samples owned excellent thermal stabilities of up to 405°C. And the mechanical properties of the UV-cured samples were tested by the universal material testing machine, giving 25.95 MPa of tensile strength, 2,935.15 MPa of elastic modulus, and 4.09% of elongation at break.