Novel Copper Photoredox Catalysts for Polymerization: An In Situ Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles.

Haja Tar,Reema Aldawas,Bernadette Graff,Tahani I Kashar,Jacques Lalevée,Noura Kouki

doi:10.3390/polym12102293

Abstract

The copper II complex (HLCuCl) carrying 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazone (L) is synthesized and evaluated as a new photoredox catalyst/photoinitiator in combination with triethylamine (TEA) and iodonium salt (Iod) for the radical polymerization of ethylene glycol diacrylate during exposure to visible light using a photoreactor at 419 nm. The copper complex reactivity with TEA/Iod salt/gold chloride showed a good production and stability of gold nanoparticles. Finally, the high performance of Cu (II) complex for radical photopolymerization incorporating gold nanoparticles is provided. The photochemical mechanisms for the production of initiating radicals are studied using cyclic voltammetry. Polymer nanocomposites containing gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) in situ photogenerated during the irradiation process were prepared. The formation of Au NPs inside the polymer matrix was through UV–Vis and EDS/SEM analyses.

Highlights

Metal nanoparticle-polymer composites have seen intense research interest in recent years [1,2,3,4,5].A polymer matrix in which nanoparticles are embedded to enhance some particular properties of the parent matrix is called a polymer nanocomposite
The ligand and the synthesized copper chloride complex were stable at room temperature, freely soluble in DMF, non-hygroscopic in nature, and analyzed on the basis of various spectroscopic techniques to determine their structure
These results show that a simple irradiation of a copper complex in the presence of HAuCl4 leads to its reduction, with the rapid generation of both metallic gold and initiating radicals without any undesirable side reactions

Summary

Introduction

Metal nanoparticle-polymer composites have seen intense research interest in recent years [1,2,3,4,5]. A polymer matrix in which nanoparticles are embedded to enhance some particular properties of the parent matrix is called a polymer nanocomposite. In this method, metal ions are reduced inside a polymer matrix. Metal ions are reduced inside a polymer matrix This technique leads to the homogeneous dispersion of metallic nanoparticles in the polymer matrix [6]. The photopolymerization method is widely used for the preparation of nanocomposite materials because it allows the rapid formation of polymer networks with new properties [15]. An in situ photo-polymerization process was used to prepare Ag and Au nanoparticles, as reported in the literature [17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]

Methods

Results

Conclusion