Photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate sensitized by aliphatic ketones

Abstract
The polymerization of methyl methacrylate photosensitized by several alkyl ketones has been investigated. It was found that alkyl ketones can induce the free radical polymerization of the monomer with an efficiency that increases when the triplet lifetime decreases. For ketones of similar triplet lifetime those decomposing predominantly by a type I photocleavage show greater initiation efficiencies than those that react by a type II mechanism. The results obtained show that quenching of the excited ketones by the monomer does not induce polymerization. For ketones bearing γ‐hydrogens the initiation is due to the 1,4‐biradical produced by intramolecular hydrogen abstraction.

This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit: