Photopolymerization under near-infrared (NIR) light is challenging due to the low energy of the absorbed photon but, if successful, presents significant advantages. For example, this lower energy wavelength is safer than UV light that is currently the standard photocuring light source. Also, NIR allows for a deeper light penetration within the material and therefore resulting in a more complete curing of thicker materials containing fillers for access to composites. In this study, we report the use of three-component systems for the NIR photopolymerization of methacrylates: (1) a dye used as a photosensitizer in the NIR range, (2) an iodonium salt as a photoinitiator for the free radical polymerization of the (meth)­acrylates, and (3) a phosphine to prevent polymerization inhibition due to the oxygen and to regenerate the dye upon irradiation. Several NIR-absorbing dyes such as a cyanine borate and a silicon–phthalocyanine are presented and studied. Systems using borate dyes resulted in methacrylate monomer conversion over 80% in air. We report three types of irradiation system: low-power LED at 660 and 780 nm as well as a higher power laser diode at 785 nm. The excellent performance reported in this work is due to the crucial role of the added phosphine.

Photopolymerization, or the use of light to trigger polymerization, is one of the most exciting technologies for advanced manufacturing of polymers. One of the key components in the photopolymerization processes is the photoactive compound that absorbs the light, generating the active species that promotes the polymerization and largely determines the final properties of the material. The field of photopolymerization has been dominated by photoradical generators to mediate radical reactions. In the last decade, to expand the number of polymers that can be prepared by photopolymerization, intensive research has been devoted to the synthesis and utilization of photoactive molecules that are able to generate a base or an acid upon irradiation. These organic compounds are known to promote not only the ring‐opening polymerization of various heterocyclic monomers such as lactones, carbonates, or epoxides but also to trigger the step‐growth synthesis of polyurethanes. This Minireview highlights the recent advances in the development of organic photobase and photoacid generators, with the aim of encouraging the wider application of these photoactive compounds in the photopolymerization area and to expand the use of these polymers in advanced manufacturing processes.

International audienceZinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) is proposed as a high performance visible light photoinitiator for both the free radical polymerization (FRP) of methacrylates (thick films) and the cationic polymerization (CP) of epoxides (thin films) upon visible light exposure using light emitting diodes (LEDs) at 405, 455, 477, and 530 nm. ZnTPP combined with an iodonium salt shows excellent polymerization initiating abilities and high final conversions were obtained. Remarkably, for the ligand alone (tetraphenylporphyrin derivative, H2TPMP) used as photoinitiator, no polymerization occurs, indicating the importance of the metal in the initiating complex for an efficient process. A full picture of the involved chemical mechanisms is given. The high performance of ZnTPP as cationic initiating system is also well shown for new cationic 3D printing resins upon exposure to LED projector at 405 nm. © 2017 American Chemical Society