Test methodAminophthalimide probes for monitoring of cationic photopolymerization by fluorescence probe technology and their effect on the polymerization kinetics

The performance of a series of phthalimide derivatives as fluorescent probes for monitoring of cationic photopolymerization of monomers by Fluorescence Probe Technology (FPT) has been studied in comparison to the performance of a 7-diethylamino-4-methylcoumarin (Coumarin 1) probe. It was found that the phthalimide probes are much more stable than Coumarin 1 under cationic polymerization conditions. Moreover, the aminophthalimide probes turned out to be long-wavelength sensitizers for the diaryliodonium photoinitiators used to initiate the polymerization process. The sensitizing effect of the probes compensates in excess the inhibiting effect of their amino groups on the cationic polymerization kinetics.