Photoinitiated Polymerization: Advances, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

The use of photoinitiated polymerization is continuously growing in industry as reflected by the large number of applications in not only conventional areas such as coatings, inks, and adhesives but also high-tech domains, optoelectronics, laser imaging, stereolithography, and nanotechnology. In this Perspective, the latest developments in photoinitiating systems for free radical and cationic polymerizations are presented. The potential use of photochemical methods for step-growth polymerization is also highlighted. The goal is, furthermore, to show approaches to overcome problems associated with the efficiency, wavelength flexibility, and environmental and safety issues in all photoinitiating systems for different modes of activation. Much progress has been made in the past 10 years in the preparation of complex and nanostructured macromolecules by using photoinitiated polymerizations. Thus, the new and emerging applications of photoinitiated polymerizations in the field of biomaterials, surface modification, preparation of block and graft copolymers, and nanocomposites have been addressed.

Difluoroboranyl derivatives as efficient panchromatic photoinitiators in radical polymerization reactions

“…Another examples are b-diketonate (OBF 2 O) and b-ketoiminate (NBF 2 O) difluoroboranyls [13]. Their easy functionalization makes the dyes very attractive as immobilized [13] probes or indicators [2,14], as dyes for biolabelling [15], chemodosimeters [16]. They also are used in solar cells applications [17].…”

“…Furthermore, they can find an application in the other fields of technology making use of interaction of light with matter. Polymerization is any process of converting monomer molecules into linear chains or three-dimensional network of polymer chains [14,15]. A lot of studies have been published in this area because polymerization process is very important from practical viewpoint.…”

“…The light-induced polymerization reactions are very important in different industrial sectors, such as radiation curing, imaging, microelectronics, medicine or optics [15]. The development of high-performance PISs operating upon visible light exposure is still a challenge.…”

“…The development of high-performance PISs operating upon visible light exposure is still a challenge. Recently Lalevée et al [15,24] have reported the photoinitiators based on the BODIPY and boranil chromophores. These dyes are characterized by high tunability of the absorption allowing triggering the cationic polymerization at any wavelengths in the 400-600 nm range.…”

Reversible-Deactivation Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Induced by Photochemical Reduction of Various Copper Catalysts

“…The use of photochemical stimuli in polymerization has particular advantages because photochemical processes are extremely fast, no volatile organic compounds are usually released, and photochemical initiation can be performed at low temperatures with a highly specified course of polymerization, etc. [7,8]. In the past, only a few studies have investigated photochemically initiated ATRP.…”