Photopolymerization of vinyl monomers with quaternary ammonium salts

Abstract

AbstractPhotopolymerization of vinyl monomers with a series of quaternary ammonium salts has been investigated. However, quaternary ammonium salts used are not photosensitizers but rather photoinitiators. The salts photoinitiation activity was observed to vary widely with the counteranion in quaternary salts used and also with the alkyl group in their amine components. In general, the halide salts were more effective than tetrafluoroborate salts. It was also found that the overall activation energy for the photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate with dimethylbenzylanilinium tetrafluoroborate was 5.9 kcal/mole, and its rate was proportional to the 0.32 and 1.0 order of the concentration of the salt and the monomer used, respectively. An endgroup similar to dimethylaniline was found to be present in the methyl methacrylate polymer obtained by above system; this is probably a methylanilinomethyl group, from the characteristics of its ultraviolet spectrum.