PREC Investigates Acrylic Resin Solubility in Different Solvents

Experimental Design:

Rotational viscosity at 25°C was used to compare the dissolving power of five solvents for acrylic resin under varying solid contents and temperatures.

Temperature range: 15-65°C in 10°C increments
Solid content: 10-70% in 10% increments
Constant dissolution time (2h) and mass (104g)

For clarity, the solvents referenced in this study are abbreviated as follows:

EEP: 3-Ethoxyethyl Propionate
MMP: 3-Methoxypropyl Propionate
MAK: 2-Heptanone (Methyl Amyl Ketone)
BA: Butyl Acetate
PMA: Propylene Glycol Methyl Ether Acetate

Data Analysis:

At 10% solid content:

BA showed inferior performance
Below 35°C: Complete dissolution only in MMP/EEP
35-65°C: Similar performance for PMA/MAK/MMP/EEP

At 20% solid content:

BA remained weakest
MMP showed slightly higher viscosity at 55°C
Other solvents exhibited nearly identical performance

At 30% solid content:

Above 45°C: MAK showed strongest dissolving capability
Below 60°C: MMP > EEP > PMA
At 65°C: EEP≈MMP (slightly below PMA)

At 40% solid content:

Dissolution capability ranking: MAK > EEP > MMP > PMA > BA
Full dissolution achieved above 45°C (MAK/EEP/MMP) and 55°C (PMA/BA)

At solid contents of 50% and above, acrylic resin could not be fully dissolved in any of the five solvents.

Experimental Conclusions:

Five solvents were tested for their ability to dissolve acrylic resin. Key results showed:

At >10% resin solid content, MAK demonstrated strongest dissolving power while BA was weakest
For 10-20% solid content: MMP, EEP and PMA showed similar dissolving capabilities
At 30-50% solid content: EEP and MMP outperformed PMA

Technical Insight

The solvent’s ability to dissolve the resin can be intuitively expressed by the viscosity of the system.

Lower solubility → stronger molecular aggregation → higher viscosity
Higher solubility → lower viscosity

For more information about functional solvents, please visit: PREC EEP Solvent and PREC MMP Solvent.