Meta-Terphenyl Derivative/ Iodonium Salt/9H-Carbazole-9-ethanol Photoinitiating Systems for Free Radical Promoted Cationic Polymerization upon Visible Lights

In the present paper, new photoinitiators based on the meta-terphenyl scaffold in combination with an iodonium salt and 9H-carbazole-9-ethanol (CARET) are proposed for the free radical promoted cationic polymerization of epoxides upon visible light exposure using light emitting diodes at 405, 455, and 470 nm. Remarkably, a new high performance additive (i.e., CARET) is proposed here for cationic polymerizations. CARET shows some important advantages compared to other reported additives such as N-vinylcarbazole or benzyl alcohol used as references. Excellent polymerization initiating abilities are found and a full picture of the involved chemical mechanisms is provided.