Functionalized epoxy with adjustable fluorescence and UV-shielding enabled by reactive addition of 9-anthracenemethoxyl glycidyl ether.

Functionalized epoxies show unique advantages in some special applications. Herein, a fluorescent and UV-shielding dual-functional epoxy resin, epoxy-EAn, is prepared synthesizing and incorporating a reactive additive, 9-anthracenemethoxyl glycidyl ether (EAn), into the resin system. The results show that EAn performs an outstanding migration resistance. The addition of a small amount of EAn (0.1%) enables epoxy-EAn to emit bright blue-violet fluorescence under UV light, making epoxy-EAn a feasible fluorescent adhesive for reconstruction and repair. The fluorescence emission intensity is adjustable by the treatment with UV light and heat. Correspondingly, the epoxy-EAn can serve as an information storage material to realize information input and decryption. In addition, epoxy-EAn also possesses the ability to shield UV radiation, and transmittance in the near ultraviolet and middle ultraviolet region (200-400 nm) can decrease to zero when the EAn concentration is 0.8%. Meanwhile, epoxy-EAn also shows excellent mechanical properties similar to that of the pure epoxy. This work paves a facile way to fabricate a multi-functional epoxy suitable for various occasions.