An amphipathic thioxanthone-anthracene photoinitiator for free-radical polymerization

Authors: DENİZ TUNÇ BEYAZIT, BURÇİN GACAL, YUSUF YAĞCI

Abstract: A novel thioxanthone-anthracene (TX-A) photoinitiator possessing an octyl group, TX-A-Oct, as amphipathic photoinitiator was synthesized by click chemistry. Its ability to initiate photopolymerization of various monomers, namely methyl methacrylate (MMA), acryl amide (Am), butyl acrylate (BA), styrene (St), and a multifunctional monomer trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA), was examined in both the presence and absence of air. TX-A-Oct was found to be effective in initiating polymerization also in the absence of a co-initiator. UV, FTIR, and fluorescence spectroscopic analysis and polymerization studies revealed that depending on the conditions photoinitiations occur through both anthracene and thioxanthone chromophoric groups by hydrogen abstraction and endoperoxide formation processes, respectively.

Keywords: Photopolymerization, free radical polymerization, photoinitiator, click chemistry, thioxanthone-anthracene

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