Acrylic powder and monomer liquid are the chemical makeup of acrylic nail. The liquid and powder are mixed together forming a hard, plastic product that is applied to nails. The activation is called polymerisation.
Small molecules – from the monomer (liquid) – join large molecules – from the polymer (powder) – and create a chemical reaction. Each system does this differently or particular to the company, whatever way it happens, and initiator is required to start the process by providing the energy and a catalyst to control how the reaction occurs and how fast.
- Liquid and powder are mixed – polymerisation begins.
- Mixture starts to become gel-like – easily mouldable and pliable.
- Mixture starts to set becoming hard.
Getting the consistency right takes practice – too much liquid makes the acrylic too thin, too much powder – makes the acrylic too hard becoming brittle.
Temperature plays a part in the hardening of acrylic and is best at room temperature.
- Too hot mixture can harden the mix too quick, making it brittle and weak.
- Too cold and the process slows affecting the monomer – it is volatile so evaporates – this can leave crystalised spots on the nail.
Using products from different companies can affect the outcome of the acrylic. Powders vary between brands, as they will have different chemical compositions.
A little chemistry lesson!
Acrylics go through a chain reaction process.
- Liquid is mixed with the powder.
- The catalyst (in the liquid) breaks the initiator (in the powder) in half, creating two free radicals.
- Each free radical combines with a monomer, energizing it.
- The energized monomer attaches to another monomer creating a covalent bond (the strongest type of chemical bond).
- Energy passes to the new partner monomer.
- The second monomer attaches to another monomer creating a covalent bond, and so on, and so on, and so on, creating long polymer chains.
- The chains wrap around and encase each polymer powder bead, fusing the beads into the acrylic nail.
- The reaction ends when there are no monomers remaining.