AbstractThe bisphenol A epoxy acrylate resin (EA) containing a small amount of layered double hydroxide (LDH) was cured within seconds under UV irradiation at ambient temperature. Its microstructure was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The combustion behavior of the coating was examined by the Microscale Combustion Calorimeter (MCC) and limiting oxygen index (LOI). The results obtained from MCC and LOI indicated that the addition of LDH into EA could decrease the peak of heat release rate (HRR) for the films and increase the LOI value of the films. Thermal behavior of the cured films was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results for TGA indicated that with increase in the contents of LDH, the residual char of UV‐cured films increased at 600 °C. The evolved products for UV‐cured films were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry (TGA‐IR). It was implied that the mechanism of thermal degradation for EA0 was different from EA4. Viscoelastic property of photo‐cured hybrid materials was evaluated by dynamic‐mechanical analysis. The effect of LDH on the properties of UV‐curable films was critically evaluated in this paper. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.