Continuous Breakthroughs in UV Curable New Materials! CAS 16432-81-8, Ethyl 2-(4-benzoyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy)acrylate

As the UV curing industry rapidly evolves toward low migration, low odor and food-contact grades, reactive photoinitiators have become a core focus in high-end formulation R&D. CAS 16432-81-8, chemical name Ethyl 2-(4-benzoyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy)acrylate, commonly known in the industry as UV416, is a copolymerizable benzophenone photoinitiator. It delivers stable and eco-friendly curing solutions for coatings, inks, optical films and flexible materials.

UV416 features both benzophenone photosensitive groups and polymerizable acrylate double bonds within its molecular structure. Under UV irradiation, the photosensitive moiety generates active species to initiate crosslinking of the system, while the acrylate double bonds are directly bonded into the cured resin network. This fundamentally avoids the drawbacks of migration and blooming seen in conventional small-molecule photoinitiators after curing. It greatly reduces defects such as residual odor, surface blooming and post-curing yellowing, making it highly suitable for application scenarios with strict control over extractables.

The product maintains stable basic physical and chemical properties: molecular formula C₁₈H₁₆O₅, molecular weight 312.32, melting point 77~80℃. It exhibits excellent compatibility with various acrylate monomers and oligomers and is resistant to crystallization. Its UV absorption range matches traditional mercury lamps and is also compatible with some long-wavelength LED light sources, delivering outstanding performance in thin-film curing.

Core Application Areas: 

✅ Food-contact grade UV inks and overprint varnishes for food packaging, meeting migration limit requirements

✅ UV coatings for optical protective films, PET/PC flexible films

✅ Water-based UV coatings, eco-friendly wood clear varnishes

✅ Inkjet UV inks, 3D printing photoresins

✅ Flexible packaging laminating adhesives, plastic surface topcoat systems

Compared with conventional benzophenone photoinitiators, the biggest advantage of UV416 is reactive immobilization. After curing, it no longer exists as free small molecules, which markedly improves the migration resistance of finished products and effectively reduces the risk of contact migration, complying with relevant domestic and foreign regulations for food contact materials. Meanwhile, it features good formulation stability, resistance to separation during storage, consistent batch purity ≥98% with controllable impurities, enabling stable large-scale supply.

Driven by industry trends, downstream customers keep reducing product VOC levels and imposing strict control over small-molecule extractables. Ordinary non-reactive photoinitiators can hardly meet the requirements of high-end export orders. Benefiting from the combined strengths of low migration, low odor and excellent compatibility, UV416 has become a preferred additive for formulators to upgrade eco-friendly systems. It helps UV new material manufacturers develop premium products meeting international safety standards and capture market share in the green curing material sector.