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Abstract: The cure speed of an optical fiber coating has always been considered a critical characteristic for assessing processing capability and robustness, especially under high-speed fiber drawing conditions. The evaluation methodology of cure speed for UV curable optical fiber coatings has expanded in recent years from the conventional double bond conversion rate to also including modulus buildup rate, which is more directly related to coating on-fiber properties and fiber performance. In this paper, a new kinetic parameter is introduced, i.e. modulus buildup rate constant/double bond conversion rate constant ratio (kE/kC). The new generation primary coatings as first introduced last year exhibit the unique characteristic of kE/kC≥1, corresponding to equal or faster modulus buildup vs. conversion and much less modulus increase at the last stage of conversion. This distinctive feature provides great benefits to optical fiber manufacturers in terms of imparting robust processibility with consistent primary coating mechanical properties to a wide window of different drawing conditions. The kinetic mechanism of this unconventional behavior was studied by analyzing kinetic data from coated wire fibers made by Draw Tower Simulator (DTS), Real-Time Dynamic Mechanical Analysis coupled with Real-Time Near Infrared Spectroscopy (RT-DMA/NIR), and film samples from a high intensity/high temperature (HIHT) curing system.

About the Presenter: Dr. Huimin Cao is a Science Fellow at Science and Technology Group at Covestro. Her expertise is material science, with the focus on material properties and structure-property-performance relationships. She has extensive experience on UV-curable materials for optical fiber applications.