UV-curable, Transparent, and Low Volume-shrinkage Silicones for Efficient Mini-LED Encapsulation

Zi-Hua Zhang; Juan Ye; Wei-Shan Wen; Qing-Hong Luo; Hong-Ping Xiang

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3506-4

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

UV-curable, Transparent, and Low Volume-shrinkage Silicones for Efficient Mini-LED Encapsulation

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-01-30

- UV-curable, Transparent, and Low Volume-shrinkage Silicones for Efficient Mini-LED Encapsulation
- UV-curable, Transparent, and Low Volume-shrinkage Silicones for Efficient Mini-LED Encapsulation
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science 2026年44卷第2期页码：599-610
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
  b.School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Huizhou Engineering Vocational College, Huizhou 516000, China
- Author bio：
  
  xianghongping@gdut.edu.cn
- Funds：
  
  This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52273104). The authors thank Chen Yu and Yu Ling from the Guangdong University of Technology Analysis and Test Center for their assistance with-NMR spectroscopy.;Electronic supplementary information (ESI) is available free of charge in the online version of this article at http://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-025-3506-4.
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3506-4
  中图分类号： [M
- 收稿：2025-08-14，
  
  修回：2025-11-06，
  
  录用：2025-11-17，
  
  网络首发：2026-01-22，
  
  纸质出版：2026-02-05
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Zhang, Z. H.; Ye, J.; Wen, W. S.; Luo, Q. H.; Xiang, H. P. UV-curable, transparent, and low volume-shrinkage silicones for efficient Mini-LED encapsulation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 599–610

Zi-Hua Zhang, Juan Ye, Wei-Shan Wen, et al. UV-curable, Transparent, and Low Volume-shrinkage Silicones for Efficient Mini-LED Encapsulation[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(2): 599-610.
Zhang, Z. H.; Ye, J.; Wen, W. S.; Luo, Q. H.; Xiang, H. P. UV-curable, transparent, and low volume-shrinkage silicones for efficient Mini-LED encapsulation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 599–610 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3506-4.

Zi-Hua Zhang, Juan Ye, Wei-Shan Wen, et al. UV-curable, Transparent, and Low Volume-shrinkage Silicones for Efficient Mini-LED Encapsulation[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(2): 599-610. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3506-4.

摘要

This work develops a novel UV-curable silicone resin containing phenyl

disulfide

and acryloyl groups. It can be rapidly UV-cured within 30 s

exhibiting a high optical transparency (>92%)

a high refractive index (>1.5)

and a low volume shrinkage (< 4.83%)

providing an effective encapsulation solution for Mini-LEDs.

Abstract

Mini light-emitting diodes (Mini-LEDs) show great application potential in high-end displays owing to their superior pixel density

brightness

responsiveness

and efficiency. However

current packaging materials for Mini-LEDs are predominantly thermally cured

which is energy- and time-consuming and can adversely affect electronic components. In this study

a novel UV-curable silicone resin containing phenyl

disulfide

and acryloyl groups (SPASR) is developed from commercially available siloxanes. The resin exhibits a refractive index (

) higher than 1.5

and it can be cured within 30 s under UV irradiation. After curing

it exhibits an optical transparency exceeding 92%

a lap adhesion st

rength of up to 1.84 MPa

and good thermostability (

265 °C). Notably

the volume shrinkage is less than 4.83%

attributed to the release of photopolymerization stress

via

UV-induced disulfide metathesis during UV curing. Mini-LEDs encapsulated with this resin show luminescence properties comparable to those of conventional thermally-cured sealants

and show excellent sealability wihtout visible penetration after being immersed in red ink for 12 h. Consequently

these excellent properties make the SPASR resin an ideal candidate for microelectronic encapsulation

offering a more reliable and efficient solution for the electronics industry.

关键词

Keywords

references

Chen, Z. Y.; Sheng, B. W.; Liu, F.; Liu, S. F.; Li, D.; Yuan, Z. X.; Wang, T.; Rong, X.; Huang, J. S.; Qiu, J. Y.; Liang, W. J.; Zhao, C. L.; Yan, L.; Hu, J.; Guo, S. P.; Ge, W. K .; Shen, B.; Wang, X. Q. High-efficiency InGaN red mini-LEDs on sapphire toward full-color nitride displays: effect of strain modulation. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023 , 33 , 2300042..

Huang, Y. G.; Hsiang, E. L.; Deng, M. Y.; Wu, S. T. Mini-LED, Micro-LED and OLED displays: present status and future perspectives. Light Sci. Appl. 2020 , 9 , 105..

Wang, Y. J.; Tang, W. Y.; Zhang, C.; Molokeev, M. S.; Ming, H.; Zhou, Y. Y.; Peng, S.; Song, E. H.; Zhang, Q. Y. Structure-based machine learning enables discovery of Mn 4+ -activated red-light fluorides for ultrawide-gamut mini-light-emitting diodes. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024 , 34 , 2313490..

He, K.; Chen, D. J.; Yuan, L. F.; Xu, J. M.; Xu, K. Y; Hu, J.; Liang, S. S.; Zhu, H. M. Crystallization engineering in PVDF enables ultrastable and highly efficient CsPbBr 3 quantum dots film for wide color gamut Mini-LED backlight. Chem. Eng. J. 2024 , 480 , 148066..

Lee, H. E.; Shin, J. H.; Park, J. H.; Hong, S. K.; Park, S. H.; Lee, S. H.; Lee, J. H.; Kang, I. S.; Lee, K. J. Micro light-emitting diodes for display and flexible biomedical applications. Adv. Funct. Mater . 2019 , 29 , 1808075..

Deng, Z. T.; Wang, M. L.; Zhu, C. Z.; Li, C. H.;Liu, J. H.; Tu, M. L.; Xie, L.; Gui, D. Y. Study on light aging of anhydride-cured epoxy resin used for RGB LED packaging material. Polym. Test. 2019 , 80 , 106131..

Gao, H.; Wang, M. M.; Mao, Y. F.; Zhao, Q. S.; Zhang, C.; Jin, L.; Xia, Y. Y.; Li, W. J.; Zhang, K.; Zeng, H. B. Intramolecular-catalyzed vitrimers with white-light emission for light-emitting diode encapsulation. Adv. Mater. 2023 , 35 , 2300616..

Reddy, P. M.; Chang, C. J.; Lai, C. F.; Su, M. J.; Tsai, M. H. Improved organic-inorganic/graphene hybrid composite as encapsulant for white LEDs: role of graphene, titanium (IV) isopropoxide and diphenylsilanediol. Compos. Sci. Technol. 2018 , 165 , 95−105..

Lin, G. H.; Yin, J. F.; Lin, Z. Q.; Zhu, Y. W.; Li, W. J.; Li, H. Z.; Liu, Z.; Xiang, H. P; Liu, X. X. Facile thiol-epoxy click chemistry for transparent and aging-resistant silicone/epoxy composite as LED encapsulant. Prog. Org. Coat. 2021 , 156 , 106269..

Jung, S.; Kim, Y. S.; Kim, Y. N.; Jeong, S.; Naqvi, S. M.; Hassan, T.; Narayan asamy, M.; Cho, S.; Jung, Y. C.; Kin, J.; Koo, C. M. All-in-one epoxy/MXene nanocomposites with bead-type polymeric imidazole latent curing agent for enhancing storage stability and flame retardancy. Adv. Mater. 2024 , 36 , 2408674..

Tang, Y.; Zhang, X. Y.; Liu, X. Y.; Wei, W.; Li, X. J. Facile synthesis of hyperbranched epoxy resin for combined flame retarding and toughening modification of epoxy thermosets. Chem. Eng. J. 2024 , 482 , 148992..

Du, W. T.; Cai, M. Y.; Cao, J.; Huang, H. Q.; Luo, Q. H.; Xiang, H. P. High-strength, impact-resistant, transparent and aging-resistant silicone/epoxy composite as LED encapsulant via thiol-epoxy click chemistry. Polymer 2025 , 337 , 128932..

Fan, X. L.; Miao, J. T.; Yuan, L.; Guan, Q. B.; Gu, A. J.; Liang, G. Preparation and origin of thermally resistant biobased epoxy resin with low internal stress and good UV resistance based on SiO 2 hybridized cellulose for light emitting diode encapsulation. Appl. Surf. Sci. 2018 , 447 , 315−324..

Jiang, B.; Shi, X. R.; Zhang, T.; Huang, Y. D. Recent advances in UV/thermal curing silicone polymers. Chem. Eng. J. 2022 , 435 , 134843..

Deng, H. Y.; Liu, Y. Y.; Du, W. T.; Huang, H. Q.; Zhang, L. Y.; Xiang, H. P. Transparent, high-strength, resistant, recyclable silicones based on dual dynamic thiourethane and hydrogen bonds. Chem. Eng. J. 2025 , 517 , 164309..

Yu, T. X.; Liu, Y. Y.; Tian, F. Y.; Ning, N. Y.; Yu, B.; Tian, M. Silicone elastomer with high elongation at break used in digital light processing 3D printing. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2023 , 41 , 1786−1795..

Briesenick, M.; Gallei, M.; Kickelbick, G. High-refractive-index polysiloxanes containing naphthyl and phenanthrenyl groups and their thermally cross-linked resins. Macromolecules 2022 , 55 , 4675−4691..

Badur, T.; Dams, C.; Hampp, N. High refractive index polymers by design. Macromolecules 2018 , 51 , 4220−4228..

Rodríguez, R.; de las Heras Alarcón, C.; Ekanayake, P.; McDonald, P. J.; Keddie, J. L.; Barandiaran, M. J.; Asua, J. M. Correlation of silicone incorporation into hybrid acrylic coatings with the resulting hydrophobic and thermal properties. Macromolecules 2008 , 41 , 8537−8546..

Cong, Y.; Li, Z. X.; Bian, P.; McCarthy, T. J. Isomeric silicones: reactive phenylsilsesquioxane-based MT resins and comments concerning the structure of the phenylsilsesquioxane homopolymer. Macromolecules 2022 , 55 , 5803−5815..

Liu, Z.; Hong, P.; Huang, Z. Y.; Zhang, T.; Xu, R. J.; Chen, L. J.; Xiang, H. P.; Liu, X. X. Self-healing, reprocessing and 3D printing of transparent and hydrolysis-resistant silicone elastomers. Chem. Eng. J. 2020 , 387 , 124142..

Chen, X. Y.; Fang, L. X.; Wang, J. J.; He, F. K.; Chen, X. R.; Wang, Y. Q.; Zhou, J. F.; Tao, Y. Q.; Sun, J.; Fang, Q. Intrinsic high refractive index siloxane-sulfide polymer networks having high thermostability and transmittance via thiol-ene cross-linking reaction. Macromolecules 2018 , 51 , 7567−7573..

Ye, P. R.; Hong, Z. H.; Loy, D. A.; Liang, R. G. UV-curable thiol-ene system for broadband infrared transparent objects. Nat. Commun. 2023 , 14 , 8385..

Liang, Y. M.; Liu, M.; Wang, T. T.; Mao, J. Y.; Wang, L. C.; Liu, D. Z.; Wang, T. Y.; Hu, W. P. UV-curing-enhanced organic long-persistent luminescence materials. Adv. Mater. 2023 , 35 , 2304820..

Jin, H.; Zhong, X. X.; Zhong, C. C.; Dai, W. S.; Xiang, H. P.; Zhang, L. Y. UV-curable, 3D printable, thermally conductive polysiloxane composites for thermal interface devices. Addit. Manuf. 2025 , 99 , 104658..

Sun, Y. H.; Long, L.; Li, B. J.; Kong, D. F.; Liang, C. L.; He, M.; Liu, R. Enhancement of mechanical and thermal properties of UV-curable wood coatings by cellulose nanofibrils and carboxylated organo-montmorillonite. Polym. Compos. 2024 , 45 , 8005−8015..

Huang, S. J.; Huang, H. Q.; Liu, X. X.; Xiang, H. P. Free-radical/cationic hybrid UV-curable silicone resin for age-resistant coatings. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2024 , 63 , 14657−14667..

Ye, J., Zhang, Z. H.; Huang, S. J.; Liu, Y. Y.; Wen, W. S.; Xiang, H. P. UV-curing silicone-based adhesives with improved adhesion strength and aging resistance. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2024 , 63 , 21300−21311..

Yang, X. F.; Liu, J.; Wu, Y. F.; Liu, J. L.; Cheng, F.; Jiao, X. J.; Lai, G. Q. Fabrication of UV-curable solvent-free epoxy modified silicone resin coating with high transparency and low volume shrinkage. Prog. Org. Coat. 2019 , 129 , 96−100..

Berg, O.; Nguyen, L. T. T.; Teixeira, R. F.; Goethals, F.; Ozdilek, C.; Berghmans, S.; Du Prez, F. E. Low modulus dry silicone-gel materials by photoinduced thiol-ene chemistry. Macromolecules 2014 , 47 , 1292−1300..

Lu, Y.; Zhao, Z. H.; Fan, X. P.; Cao, X. Y.; Hai, M. T.; Yang, Z.; Zheng, K.; Lu, J. X.; Zhang, J. N.; Ma, Y. M.; Zhang, R. B.; Fang, S. B. Zirconia/phenylsiloxane nano-composite for LED encapsulation with high and stable light extraction efficiency. RSC Adv. 2021 , 11 , 18326−18332..

Zeng, Y. S.; Xia, J. H. Preparation of ultraviolet-cured silicone elastomer reinforced by SH-POSS crosslinker for light emitting diode encapsulant. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2025 , 142 , e56327..

Kim, Y. H.; Kim, J.; Baek, J. J.; Chang, K. C.; Park, B. S.; Bae, G. Y.; Koh, W. G.; Shin, G. Fabrication and characterization of UV-curable thiol-functionalized siloxane elastomers with enhanced adhesion for flexible substrates. Chem. Eng. J. Adv. 2024 , 20 , 100679..

Jones, B. H.; Wheeler, D. R.; Black, H. T.; Stavig, M. E.; Sawyer, P. S.; Giron, N. H.; Celina, M. C.; Lambert, T. N.; Alam, T. M. Stress relaxation in epoxy thermosets via a ferrocene-based amine curing agent. Macromolecules 2017 , 50 , 5014−5024..

Chen, J.; Fu, Z.; Huang, H.; Zeng, X.; Chen, Z. Preparation and properties of vinylphenyl-silicone resins and their application in LED packaging. RSC Adv. 2016 , 6 , 71924−71933..

Yang, X.; Shao, Q.; Yang, L.; Zhu, X.; Hua, X.; Zheng, Q.; Song, G.; Lai, G. Preparation and performance of high refractive index silicone resin-type materials for the packaging of light-emitting diodes. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2013 , 127 , 1717−1724..

Wang, S. Q.; Peng, Z. B.; Huang, Y. H.; Zhu, M. Q.; Liu, Y. Y.; Zhang, Y. Synthesis, characterization and properties of vinyl-terminated poly[dimethylsiloxane-co-methyl (phenyl) siloxane ] . Polymer 2024 , 311 , 127554..

Chen, J. T.; Jiang, S. L.; Gao, Y. J.; Sun, F. Reducing volumetric shrinkage of photopolymeriz able materials using reversible disulfide-bond reactions. J. Mater. Sci . 2018 , 53 , 16169−16181..

Xiang, Z.; Chu, C. Z.; Xie, H.; Xiang, T.; Zhou, S. B. Multifunctional thermoplastic polyurea based on the synergy of dynamic disulfide bonds and hydrogen bond cross-links. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020 , 13 , 1463−1473..

Zhao, D.; Shan, S. X.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, X. A.; Jiang, S. L.; Lyu, Y. F. Preparation of titanium-silphenylene-siloxane hybrid polymers with high refractive index, transmittance, and thermal stability. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 38 , 973−982..

Zhong, Y. M.; Liu, S.; Luo, L. B.; Huang, Q. Influence of chemical side groups containing aromatic rings: flow-induced friction enhancement or reduction. Macromolecules 2024 , 57 , 4833−4841..

Hong, S. M.; Kim, O. Y.; Hwang, S. H. Synthesis of 9, 9-bis[4-(2-hydroxyethoxy) phenyl ] fluorene di(mercaptopropionate) for high-luminance and refractive prism sheets. Prog. Org. Coat. 2024 , 196 , 108700..

Li, L.; Feng, W. Q.; Wel le, A.; Levkin, P. A. UV-Induced Disulfide Formation and Reduction for Dynamic Photopatterning. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016 , 128 , 13969−13973..

Yang, Z.; Bai, Y. P.; Wei, B. X.; Cui, Y. T.; Wang, R. L.; Zhang, W.; Li, Y. Y.; Meng, L. H.; Wang, Y. Facile synthesis of UV-curable fluorosilicone polymers and coatings with good corrosive resistance on account of the reaction of disulfide bonds with vinyl groups. Prog. Org. Coat. 2024 , 188 , 108236..

Khudyakov, I. V.; Turro, N. J. Cage effect dynamics under photolysis of photoinitiators. Des. Monomers Polym. 2010 , 13 , 487−496..

Liu, S. H.; Zhang, X. Q.; Bu, M. L.; Lei, C. H. Properties tailoring of biobased epoxy resins by regulating the degree of polymerization of oligomers. Eur. Polym. J. 2022 , 173 , 111253..

Andrzejewska, E. Photopolymerization kinetics of multifunctional monomers. Prog. Polym. Sci. 2001 , 26 , 605−665..

Otsuka, H.; Nagano, S.; Kobashi, Y.; Maeda, T.; Takahara, A. A dynamic covalent polymer driven by disulfide metathesis under photoirradiation. Chem. Commun. 2010 , 46 , 1150−1152..

Yang, H.; Chen, X.; Sun, B.; Tang, J.; Vlassak, J. J. Fracture tolerance induced by dynamic bonds in hydrogels. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 2020 , 169 , 105083..

Watanabe, S.; Tsunekawa, Y.; Takayama, T.; Oyaizu, K. Diverse side-chain transformation of high refractive index methylthio-substituted poly(phenylene sulfide)s. Macromolecules 2024 , 57 , 2897−2904..

Ogliani, E.; Yu, L. Y.; Mazurek, P.; Skov, A. L. Designing reliable silicone elastomers for high-temperature applications. Polym. Degrad. Stabil. 2018 , 157 , 175−180..

Park, H. W.; Park, J. W.; Lee, J. H.; Kim, H. J.; Shin, S. Property modification of a silicone acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive with oligomeric silicone urethane methacrylate. Eur. Polym. J. 2019 , 112 , 320−327..

Ou, S. N.; Zhang, J. Q.; Gu, L. J.; Wen, T.; Cao, M. T.; Olonisakin, K.; Yang, W. B.; Li, R.; Zhang, X. X. Click chemistry of PMHS for fabrication of robust, transparent and hy drophobic silicone resin coating on wood substrate at room temperature. Prog. Org. Coat. 2024 , 186 , 107976..

Wu, J.; Niu, K. F.; Su, B. L.; Wang, Y. S. Effect of combined UV thermal and hydrolytic aging on micro-contact properties of silicone elastomer. Polym. Degrad. Stabil. 2018 , 151 , 126−135..

Marin, E.; Boschetto, F.; Zanocco, M.; Doan, H. N.; Sunthar, T. P.; Kinashi, K.; Iba, D.; Zhu, W. L.; Pezzotti, G. UV-curing and thermal ageing of methacrylated stereo-lithographic resin. Polym. Degrad. Stabil. 2021 , 185 , 109503..

Pan, Z.; Cheng, Y.; Li, B.; Zhang, Z. A Hydrogen-Containing Di-Phenyl Siloxane Cross-Linker for Ultra-High Hardness and High Refractive Index Silicone Resin and its Application in LED Encapsulation. Silicon 2023 , 15 , 3647−3655..

Xiang, H. P.; Rong, M. Z.; Zhang, M. Q. A facile method for imparting sunlight driven catalyst-free self-healability and recyclability to commercial silicone elastomer. Polymer 2017 , 108 , 339−347..

浏览量

161

Downloads

CSCD

文章被引用时，请邮件提醒。

Submit

工具集

关联资源

Enhancing Processability of Phenylethynyl-terminated Imide Oligomers and Properties of Cured Polyimides via ―CF3 Incorporation

Pyrimidoisoindigo-based Polymers for Ambipolar Charge Transport

Molecular Segregation and Melt Memory in Dilute Polycaprolactone with Reduced Entanglements

End-group and Side-chain Dual-engineering of Selenium-fused Acceptors for 20.08% Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells with Low Energy Loss

Advances in Polymer-based Circularly Polarized Luminescent Materials