Solventless, radiation-cured acrylate formulations for magnetic tape manufacturer

Significant progress was made toward identifying a binder materials package that would enable a solventless magnetic tape manufacturing process that would eliminate the possibility of air pollution. Mixtures of commercial acrylate monomers and acrylate-terminated urethane oligomers gave electron beam cured films with good tensile properties. The binder polymers suffered no significant decrease in tensile strength after accelerated aging at 60°C and 90% relative humidity. Commercial magnetic particles were treated with silane coupling agents, which enabled the preparation of dispersions with rheological properties that approach those of conventional solvent-based formulations. A methacylate functionalized silane coupling agent provided the best rheological properties. Branched silane coupling agents provided steric barriers against magnetic attraction forces between particles. Magnetic particles acted as reinforcing fillers in a magnetic tape. Silane treated particles provided 20–30% increase in tensile strength and Young's modulus over untreated particles. UV could cure the magnetic tape containing 70 wt% particles. This was done with the help of silane coupling agents which acted as dispersion stabilizing agents.