2-Hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-HEA

Hydroxyethyl acrylate is a clear colorless liquid. miscible with water, soluble in general organic solvents.
It generally contains 400ppm of hydroquinone methylether, a polymerization inhibitor. Hydroxyethyl acrylate is a difunctional acrylate monomer with the characteristic high reactivity. Hydroxyethyl acrylate is used in a crylics for coatings, adhesives and UV reacitve oligomers. It can be used for crosslinking with isocyantes or melamines.

2-Hydroxyethyl acrylate forms homopolymers and copolymers. it is used mainly either as a co-monomer in the manufacture of polymers or as a chemical reactant in the manufacture of chemical intermediates. In the manufacture of polymers, HEA can be co-polymerized with acrylic acid, acrylates, methacrylates, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, styrene, butadiene, and the like. Co-reactants with HEA include aromatic and aliphatic isocyanates, anhydrides, and epoxides. The polymers and chemical intermediates made with HEA find applications in automotive top coatings, architectural coatings, photocure resins, and adhesives. Globally about half of the HEA produced is used in the production of acrylic enamels for the automotive industry, where a clear topcoat is applied to a pigmented base coat to increase corrosion protection and durability.