Michler's Ketone as an Interesting Scaffold for the Design of High‐Performance Dyes in Photoinitiating Systems Upon Visible Light

Abstract

Four new push–pull dyes derived from Michler's ketones are investigated. These dyes, based on a donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) structure, exhibit a tunable character according to the electron‐withdrawing ability of the acceptor used. The new proposed structures can be used in high‐performance photoinitiating systems. Remarkably, two of them are characterized by an excellent reactivity to initiate the free‐radical polymerization of acrylates, the ring‐opening polymerization of epoxides, as well as the synthesis of interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) under exposure to a laser diode at 457 nm. The chemical mechanisms are investigated by steady‐state photolysis, fluorescence, and electron spin‐resonance (ESR) experiments. image