Many UV-cured epoxy adhesives contain antimony as an integral component in the photo-catalyst. That can be a problem because antimony compounds are considered to be environmental hazards. Antimony-containing epoxies are tightly regulated in Japan, and one can expect to see increasing restrictions on them in upcoming years.
Recent product development research at ACW has targeted matching the performances of the popular A535 family of adhesives with new adhesives that do not contain antimony. We are now pleased to introduce two new UV-cure antimony-free epoxies for optoelectronics applications. A535-AF is a medium viscosity UV-cure adhesive that gives high Tg (130 °C) and high optical clarity cured adhesive. A535-AQ is a medium viscosity UV-cure adhesive that gives ultra-high Tg (195 °C) films.
The UV-vis-NIR spectra of A535-AF is shown in the figure. As with all of our spectra, we use an air reference; the surface reflection of the film is ca. 9%. A535-AF is colorless and high clarity, and it can be used in the light path. A535-AQ has a light yellow tint after curing.
For more information on these new adhesives, see the technical data sheets A535-AF, A535-AQ.
If you are interested in testing one of both of these adhesives, Contact Us.