Cationic photopolymerization of 1,3-di(9-carbazolyl)-2-propanol glycidyl ether

Abstract

An absorbance probe method was used for the investigation of photolysis of cationic photoinitiators. The rates of the photolysis of diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate (DPIH), diphenyliodonium tetrafluoroborate (DPIB), di(tert-butylphenyl)iodonium tetrafluoroborate (DTIB), di(tert-butylphenyl)iodonium bromate (DTIBr), triphenylsulfonium hexafluorophosphate (TPS) and cyclopropyldiphenylsulfonium tetrafluoroborate (CPS) were studied in the presence of acid indicator quinaldine red (QR) in acetonitrile. Diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate and triphenylsulfonium hexafluorophosphate showed the highest photolysis rate. Photopolymerization of 1,3-di(9-carbazolyl)-2-propanol glycidyl ether (DCPGE) initiated with the iodonium and sulfonium salts in bulk and in solution was studied. It was established that the highest initial rate of polymerization is characteristic of DCPGE photopolymerization initiated with DPIH and TPS in bulk. The oligomers of DCPGE of number average molecular weight ($\overline{M_n}$) ranging from 710 to 1220 were obtained in these reactions in bulk and those with $\overline{M_n}$ ranging from 1300 to 1600 were obtained in solution.