Cationic photopolymerization of carbazolyl-containing vinyl ethers

Photopolymerizations of 2-(9-carbazolyl) ethyl vinyl ether (CEVE) and (9-carbazolyl) methoxy ethyl vinyl ether (CMEVE) initiated with diphenyl iodonium tetrafluoroborate (DPIT), di(tert-butylphenyl)iodonium tetrafluoroborate (BPIT), cyclopropyldiphenylsulfonium tetrafluoroborate (CPS) and (η5-2,4-cyclopentadien-1-yl)[(1,2,3,4,5,6-η)-(1-methyl ethyl) benzene]-iron (+)-hexafluorophosphate(-1) (I261) were studied. It was established that the efficiency of the iodonium salts and iron–arene complex is much higher in the cationic photopolymerization of the monomers than that of the sulfonium salt. CMEVE showed higher reactivity in cationic photopolymerization than CEVE. Higher degrees of polymerization were established for the products CEVE photopolymerization compared with those of the products of CMEVE reaction. The influence of the temperature on the rate of CEVE and CMEVE photopolymerization, molecular weight and conversion limit is discussed.