Photosensitized onium-salt-induced cationic polymerization with hydroxymethylated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

The modification of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons by fitting them with hydroxymethyl groups provides a new class of efficient electron-transfer photosensitizers for photoinitiated cationic polymerization that perform several additional highly useful functions. Not only are these compounds capable of photosensitizing the photolysis of a wide variety of onium salt photoinitiators in the long-wavelength UV and visible regions, but the presence of the hydroxymethyl group accelerates the rate of cationic polymerization of many types of vinyl and heterocyclic monomers. In addition, the new photosensitizers become bound as end groups to the chains of the polymers that are formed.