Polymeric Michler's ketone photoinitiators: The effect of chain flexibility

Through introducing Michler's ketone (MK) moiety and diglycidyl ether monomers of different molecular chain into the same polymeric chain, polymeric photoinitiators of different chain flexibility, PMKPR, PMKPG and PMKPP were synthesized. These polymeric photoinitiators possess the similar characteristic UV-vis absorption of parent MK, and their photobleaching behavior is similar. The Tg of PMKPR, PMKPG and PMKPP is 58.1 °C, −24.9 °C and −12.5 °C, respectively. Three types of monomer with different functionality, phenoxy ethyleneglycol acrylate (AMP-10G), 2,2-bis[4-(acryloxypolyethoxy) phenyl]propane (A-BPE-10) and trimethylopropane triacrylate (TMPTA), were chosen to be initiated by these photoinitiators. The result indicates the chain structure of photoinitiators has significant influence on the polymerization of monomers. PMKPG is the most efficient polymeric photoinitiator for initiating the polymerization of AMP-10G and A-BPE-10, while PMKPP is the most efficient for TMPTA.