Quantum yield of conversion of the photoinitiator camphorquinone

The primary absorber in dental resins is the photoinitiator, which starts the photo polymerization process. We studied the quantum yield of conversion of camphorquinone (CQ), a blue light photoinitiator, in dental resin composites using a LED lamp (3M FreeLight) and a Quartz Tungsten Halogen (QTH) lamp (VIP) as the light curing units at five different irradiances. The molar extinction coefficient, ɛ469, of CQ was 46 ± 2 cm−1/(mol/L) at 469 nm. The reciprocity of irradiance and exposure time holds for changes of CQ absorption coefficient, that is, irradiance × exposure time (=radiant exposure) = constant. Both LED and QTH lamps yielded the same curing threshold (the radiant exposure when CQ absorption drops to 1/e) and the same quantum yield conversion under different irradiances. In our dental resin formulation (0.7 wt.% CQ with reducing agents 0.35 wt.% dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and 0.05 wt.% butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)) the quantum yield was measured as 0.07 ± 0.01 CQ conversion per absorbed photon.