D 1413 HT radiation curable coatings for optical fiber

1. A Radiation Curable Coating composition, which may be used as an inner primary coating, an outer primary coating, a single coat, a matrix, or a buffer resin composition, comprising:

(a) at least one radiation-curable oligomer wherein said at least one radiation curable oligomer is a fatty-acid modified epoxy acrylate;

(b) at least one ethylenenic unsaturated reactive diluent;

(c) one or more photoinitiators,

(d) optionally one or more additives selected from the group consisting of

(d1) stabilizing additives, and

(d2) adhesion promoting additives;

wherein said composition further optionally comprises a photosensitizer;

wherein said oligomer(s) and diluent(s) are selected from the group that does not include moieties with Urethane chemistry;

wherein said at least one radiation-curable oligomer is present in said composition in an amount from about 40 weight percent to about 99 weight percent;

wherein said at least one ethylenenic unsaturated reactive diluent is present in an amount of from about 1 weight percent to about 60 weight percent;

wherein said fatty-acid modified epoxy acrylate has between 12 and 28 carbon atoms in the backbone and is an aromatic or cycloaliphatic compound or resin comprising one or more epoxy groups per molecule;

wherein said radiation curable composition does not include any pigments, dyes or other color changing moieties;

wherein the photoinitiator is selected from the group consisting of isobutyl benzoin ether;

2,4,6 trimethylbenzoyl;

diphenylphosphine oxide;

bis(2,4,6 trimethylbenzoyl)phenylphosphine oxide (sold as Irgacure 819);

1 hydroxycyclohexylphenylketone;

2 benzyl 2 dimethylamino 1 (4 morpholinophenyl) butan 1 one;

2,2 dimethoxy 2 phenylacetophenone;

perfluorinated diphenyltitanocene;

2 methyl 1[4 (methylthio)phenyl] 2 (4 morpholinyl) 1 propanone;

2 hydroxy 2 methyl 1 phenylpropan 1 one;

4 (2 hydroxyethoxy)phenyl 2 hydroxy 2 propyl ketone dimethoxyphenylacetophenone;

1 (4 isopropylphenyl) 2 hydroxy 2 methylpropan 1 one;

1 (4 dodecylphenyl) 2 hydroxy 2 methylpropan 1 one;

4 (2 hydroxyethoxy)phenyl 2 (2 hydroxy 2 propyl) ketone;

diethoxyphenyl acetophenone;

a mixture of (2,6 dimethoxybenzoyl) 2,4,4 trimethylpentylphosphine oxide and 2 hydroxy 2 methyl 1 phenyl propan 1 one;

benzophenone;

1 propanone;

2 methyl 1 1 (4 (methylthio)phenyl)2 (4 morpholinyl);

Daracure 1173, available from Ciba, with a Chemical Abstracts Services Registry Number of 7473 98 5 and an aryl-ketone chemistry;

Esacure KIP 150, available from Lamberti, with a proprietary formula and a chemistry of oligo [2 hydroxy 2 methyl 1[4(1 methylvinyl)phenyl] propanone];

Irgacure 651, available from Ciba, with a Chemical Abstracts Services Registry Number of 24650-42-8 and a chemistry of 2,2 dimethoxy 2 phenylacetophenone;

Irgacure 819, available from Ciba, with a Chemical Abstracts Services Registry Number of 162881 26 7 and a chemistry of bis(2,4,6 trimethylbenzoyl) phenylphosphineoxide;

Irgacure 907, available from Ciba, with a Chemical Abstracts Services Registry Number of 71868 10 5 and a chemistry of 2 methyl 1[4 (methylthio)phenyl] 2 morpholinopropanone 1;

and wherein said composition, after cure, has resistance to thermal degradation as measured by less than 10% weight loss after exposure of cured specimens in a natural convection furnace for 100 hours at 200° C.

2. The composition of claim 1 in which said fatty-acid modified epoxy acrylate is selected from the group consisting of

CN-116, a fatty-acid modified bisphenol A epoxy acrylate available from Sartomer;

CN-118, a fatty-acid modified bisphenol A available from Sartomer;

CN120Z, with Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 55818-57-0 available from Sartomer; and

CN-2101, a fatty-acid modified bisphenol A epoxy acrylate available from Sartomer.

3. An Optical Fiber comprising at least one Coating Layer of the composition of claim 1 , wherein said Coating Layer is

a Single Coat Layer,

an Inner Primary Coating Layer,

an Outer Primary Layer, or

an Upjacketing Coating Layer,

wherein said composition has been applied as a liquid and cured to a solid layer.

4. An Optical Fiber of claim 3 , wherein said Optical Fiber is a Hermetically Sealed Optical Fiber.

5. A process to coat an Optical fiber comprising:

a) providing an optical fiber that is being manufactured at a line speed of between about 50 meters/minute and about 1000 meters/minute; and

b) coating the optical fiber with a radiation curable coating composition of claim 1 .