N-Vinylcarbazole as Versatile Photoinaddimer of Photopolymerization under Household UV LED Bulb (392 nm).

Abstract

N-vinylcarbazole (NVK) can act simultaneously as a photoinitiator, an additive, and a mono-mer (photoinaddimer) of photopolymerization upon exposure to the household ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED) bulb (emission wavelength centered at 392 nm). Even though the light absorption spectrum of NVK exhibits weak overlapping with the emission spectrum of the UV LED, the active species (i.e., radicals and cations) can be generated from the interaction between NVK and diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate (Iod) under irradiation of this LED device, which is investigated by steady state photolysis and electron spin resonance spin-trapping methods. Interestingly, the generated radicals and cations from the NVK/Iod system demonstrate high efficiency to initiate the free radical photopolymerization of (meth)acrylates and the cationic photopolymerization of epoxide and divinyl ether under the UV LED irradiation, and the one-step simultaneous catonic/radical photopolymerization of expoxide/acrylate blend can lead to the formation of tack free polyacrylate/polyether-based interpenetrated polymer network film within 10 min even when the polymerization process is exposed to the atmosphere highlighting the high efficiency of the system to reduce the oxygen inhibition effect. More interestingly, NVK/Iod system can also initiate the photopolymerization of NVK under the UV LED irradiation to produce polyvinylcarbazole, and NVK acts as both a photoinitiator and a monomer in the system.