Styryl dyes as new photoinitiators for free radical polymerization

Several disperse and cationic styryl dyes have been synthesized and evaluated for the initiation of free radical polymerization of ethyl acrylate under UV–vis light. The kinetic study of photoinitiated polymerization performed with the use of suitable electron donors such as ethyl 4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzoate (DMB), phenylthioacetic acid (PhSAc) and phenoxyacetic acid (PhOAc) has proved that tested dyes are good electron acceptors. It has been shown that the intermolecular electron transfer is the limiting step in the photoinitiated polymerization process.