Radiation-curable coatings for plastic substrates from multifunctional acrylate oligomers

1. An article comprising a plastic substrate and a UV-curable Michael resin composition, wherein said UV-curable Michael resin composition comprises a resinous Michael addition product of a β-dicarbonyl compound and a Lewis-functional multifunctional acrylate ester wherein said resin has a surface tension in the range of from about 30 to about 70 dynes/cm and wherein said plastic substrate is coated with said UV-curable Michael resin composition.

2. The article according to claim 1 , wherein said Lewis-functional multifunctional acrylate ester comprises a chemical moiety selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, epoxy, amine, acid, urethane, melamine, ether, ester and mixtures thereof.

3. The article according to claim 1 , wherein said β-dicarbonyl compound is selected from the group consisting of β-keto esters, β-diketones, β-keto amides, β-keto anilides and mixtures thereof.

4. The article according to claim 1 , wherein said β-dicarbonyl compound is selected from the group consisting of methyl acetoacetate, ethyl acetoacetate, 2-(methoxyethyl) acetoacetate, glycidyl acetoacetate, acetoacetanilide, 2,4-pentanedione and mixtures thereof.

5. The article according to claim 1 , wherein said Lewis-functional multifunctional acrylate ester is selected from the group consisting of trimethylolpropane triacrylate, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, trifunctional acrylic s-triazine, hexanediol diacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, propoxylated glycol acrylates and mixtures thereof.

6. The article according to claim 1 , wherein sais UV-curable Michael resin composition further comprises at least one reactive monomer.

7. The article according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-curable Michael resin composition further comprises at least one agent selected from the group consisting of flaw and leveling additives, wetting agents, deaerating agents, photoinitiators, matting agents, colloidal silica, pigments, dyes, adhesion promoters and mixtures thereof.

8. The article according to claim 1 , wherein said plastic substrate is treated to raise the surface energy of said plastic substrate to above 35 dynes/cm prior to coating with said DV-curable Michael resin composition.

9. The article according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-curable Michael resin composition is cured.

10. A method of coating a plastic substrate comprising:

providing a resin composition comprising a resinous Michael addition product of a β-dicarbonyl compound and a Lewis-functional multifunctional acrylate ester wherein said uncrosslinked resin has a surface tension in the range of from about 30 to about 70 dynes/cm;

providing a plastic substrate;

optionally treating the said plastic substrate to raise the surface energy of said plastic substrate to above 35 dynes/cm;

applying said resin composition to said plastic substrate and

curing said resin composition.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said resin composition further comprises at least one agent selected from the group consisting of reactive diluent monomers, adhesion promoting monomers, flow and leveling additives, wetting agents, deaerating agents, photoinitiators, matting agents, colloidal silica, pigments, dyes, adhesion promoters and mixtures thereof.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said plastic substrate is treated to raise the surface energy of said plastic substrate to above 35 dynes/cm, and wherein said treatment is selected from the group consisting of corona discharge, flame, chromic acid etch, plasma, and application of primer coats.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein applying said resin composition comprises a method selected from the group consisting of roll coating, spraying, brushing, and dip-coating.