2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was photopolymerized in the presence of Safranine (SfH(+)) and tetraphenyldiboroxane (TPhB). Polymerization results are correlated with the photochemistry of TPhB and its ability to aggregate forming hydrophobic domains (critical aggregation concentration, cac, 1.2 × 10(-4) M). Polymerization was not observed when the TPhB concentration was below the cac, indicating that the polymerization is initiated in the hydrophobic environment. The quenching of the triplet state of SfH(+) by TPhB and the generation of the semireduced species of SfH(+) suggests an electron transfer from the boron compound to the excited dye, and that the resulting boron-centered radical initiates the polymerization process.