Epoxy resins have become popular among crafts makers and woodworkers because of their versatility, workability and appearance. Our team is amazed by the projects created with this genuinely fantastic material. A unique crystal clear look, trendy in the river tables, is achieved because epoxy resins can pass a visible spectrum of light through. That is how we can see through the river portion of the table.
UV rays can damage the epoxy portion of any project if it is exposed to direct sunlight. The reason is a molecular structure containing parts that work as antennas for high-energy UV rays. This molecular structure provides rigidity, durability and hardness to cured epoxy resin and cannot be substituted. Epoxy will yellow under direct sunlight and lose its appearance if it is not stabilized or the method of protection was chosen wrongly.
Although it is currently not possible to completely stop the damage caused by UV light (as some manufacturers claim), it is possible to slow down epoxy's degradation process significantly. Nerpa Polymers chemistry team came up with a two-stage complementary protection approach. The first layer of protection consists of a molecular absorbing layer that takes the first hit from the sunlight, converts the UV light into energy in the form of heat, and releases it back into surroundings. It is known that a variable amount of UV rays can't be caught by the UV absorbing layer of protection and, therefore, will cause damage to the epoxy molecular backbone. It is happening via breaking molecules apart followed by the formation of radicals which then are capable of causing further damage to epoxy molecules by also failing them apart, similar to how avalanche builds up going down the mountain, but much slower. Our second layer of protection takes care of the damaged molecular skeleton via the state-of-the-art chemical cycle capable of deactivating formed radicals and stopping the degradation of the molecular 3D network.
These two layers of protection work together to help our customers protect their unique craftsmanship.
