A new photoinitiator system based on p-nitroaniline in the presence of aliphatic tertiary amines

Several kinetic aspects of the polymerization of dodecyl acrylate photoinitiated with p-nitroaniline in the presence of an aliphatic tertiary amine, either 2-(N,N-diethylamino)ethanol or 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, acting as coinitiator, were studied. Under low absorption conditions, the rate of polymerization was found to be proportional to the square-root of the incident light intensity, the initiator and the coinitiator concentrations. The polymerization behaviour was analyzed also under aerobic conditions. Under identical irradiation conditions, both initiation and polymerization processes present higher rates and quantum yields than those obtained with conventional aromatic ketone photoinitiators.