Photosensitization of carbazole derivatives in cationic polymerization with a novel sensitivity to near‐UV light

Photosensitizers based on the carbazole structure were designed and developed for cationic polymerization. Along with triarylsulfonium and diaryliodonium salts, the carbazole derivatives showed a high photosensitization effect in the cationic photopolymerization of epoxides. The photophysical properties of the carbazole derivatives were studied in terms of electronic absorption, fluorescence, and phosphorescence spectrometry. Moreover, a unique photosensitization mechanism of the carbazole derivatives was discussed after studies of the fluorescence quenching, redox behavior, and kinetics of the photopolymerization by time‐resolved fluorescence spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry, and photo differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The results confirmed the redox photosensitization of the carbazole derivatives in cationic polymerization. The photosensitization of the carbazole and its ring or N‐alkylated derivatives occurred predominantly in singlet excited states at the rate of the diffusion limit, whereas the carbazole derivatives with carbonyl substituents sensitized onium salts via triplet excited states on the basis of the Rehm–Weller equation in the photoinduced electron‐transfer process. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 90–100, 2000     

Novel panchromatic photopolymerizable matrices: N,N'‐dibutylquinacridone as an efficient and versatile photoinitiator

N,N'‐dibutylquinacridone (DBQA) is utilized here for the first time as a high‐performance panchromatic photoinitiator for the cationic polymerization (CP) of epoxides, the free radical polymerization (FRP) of acrylates, the thiol‐ene polymerization and the synthesis of interpenetrated polymer networks (epoxide/acrylate) under violet, blue, green and yellow lights (emitted from LED at 405 nm, 470 nm, 520 nm, or 594 nm, or laser diode at 532 nm). It confers a panchromatic character to the photopolymerizable matrices. Remarkably, the proposed DBQA based photoinitiating systems exhibit quite excellent efficiency (the final monomer conversion for multifunctional monomers at room temperature can reach 62% and 50% in CP and FRP, respectively) and appear as much more powerful than the camphorquinone or Eosin‐Y containing reference systems for visible light. For green light, DBQA is much more reactive than the literature reference (Eosin‐Y) and for blue light, a good reactivity is found compared with camphorquinone. The photochemical mechanisms are studied by molecular orbital calculations, steady state photolysis, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, laser flash photolysis, and electron spin resonance spin trapping techniques. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1719–1727     

Azahelicenes as visible light photoinitiators for cationic and radical polymerization: Preparation of photoluminescent polymers and use in high performance LED projector 3D printing resins

In this article, novel azahelicenes (AZs) were synthesized and proposed as high performance visible light photoinitiators for both the free radical polymerization of acrylates and the cationic polymerization (CP) of epoxides upon visible light exposure using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) @405, @455, and @470 nm. Excellent polymerization initiating abilities are found and high final conversions were obtained. Remarkably, an exceptional long lifetime photoluminescence property of the polymer films was observed when synthesized in presence of AZs. A full picture of the involved chemical mechanisms is given. AZs being high performance photoinitiators, their use in new cationic LED 3D printing resins will be also presented, that is, the cationic process upon LED projector @405 nm can be useful to reduce the shrinkage usually observed for radical polymerization. LED projector printing is very interesting compared to laser writing as this technology projects the profile of an entire layer of a 3D object at one time. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 55, 1189–1199     

Visible light‐emitting diode‐sensitive thioxanthone derivatives used in versatile photoinitiating systems for photopolymerizations

Novel thioxanthone (TX) derivatives are used as versatile photoinitiators upon visible light‐emitting diode (LED; e.g., 405, 425, and 450 nm) exposure. The mechanisms for the photochemical generation of reactive species (i.e., cations and free radicals) produced from photoinitiating systems based on the photoinitiator and an iodonium salt, tris(trimethylsilyl)silane, or an amine, were studied by UV–vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, steady‐state photolysis, and electron spin resonance spin‐trapping techniques. The reactive species are particularly efficient for cationic, free radical, hybrid, and thiol‐ene photopolymerizations upon LED exposure. The optimized photoinitiating systems exhibit higher efficiency than those of reference systems (i.e., isopropyl TX‐based photoinitiating systems), especially in the visible range. According to their beneficial features, these photoinitiating systems have considerable potential in photocuring applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 4037–4045     

2,2,2‐trifluoroacetophenone‐based D‐π‐A type photoinitiators for radical and cationic photopolymerizations under near‐UV and visible LEDs

Two D‐π‐A‐type 2,2,2‐trifluoroacetophenone derivatives, namely, 4′‐(4‐( N,N‐diphenyl)amino‐phenyl)‐phenyl‐2,2,2‐trifluoroacetophenone (PI‐Ben) and 4′‐(4‐(7‐(N,N‐diphenylamino)‐9,9‐dimethyl‐9H‐fluoren‐2‐yl)‐phenyl‐2,2,2‐trifluoroacetophenone (PI‐Flu), are developed as high‐performance photoinitiators combined with an amine or an iodonium salt for both the free‐radical polymerization of acrylates and the cationic polymerization of epoxides and vinyl ether upon exposure to near‐UV and visible light‐emitting diodes (LEDs; e.g., 365, 385, 405, and 450 nm). The photochemical mechanisms are investigated by UV‐Vis spectra, molecular‐orbital calculations, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, photolysis, and electron‐spin‐resonance spin‐trapping techniques. Compared with 2,2,2‐trifluoroacetophenone, both photoinitiators exhibit larger redshift of the absorption spectra and higher molar‐extinction coefficients. PI‐Ben and PI‐Flu themselves can produce free radicals to initiate the polymerization of acrylate without any added hydrogen donor. These novel D‐π‐A type trifluoroacetophenone‐based photoinitiating systems exhibit good efficiencies (acrylate conversion = 48%–66%; epoxide conversion = 85%–95%; LEDs at 365–450 nm exposure) even in low‐concentration initiators (0.5%, w/w) and very low curing light intensities (1–2 mW cm^?2). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1945–1954     

Naphthalic anhydride derivatives: Structural effects on their initiating abilities in radical and/or cationic photopolymerizations under visible light

Only one naphthalic anhydride derivative has been reported as light sensitive photoinitiator, this prompted us to further explore the possibility to prepare a new family of photoinitiators based on this scaffold. Therefore, eight naphthalic Naphthalic anhydride derivatives (ANH1‐ANH8) have been prepared and combined with an iodonium salt (and optionally N‐vinylcarbazole) or an amine (and optionally 2,4,6‐tris(trichloromethyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine) to initiate the cationic polymerization of epoxides and the free radical polymerization of acrylates under different irradiation sources, that is, very soft halogen lamp (～ 12 mW cm^?2), laser diode at 405 nm (～1.5 mW cm^?2) or blue LED centered at 455 nm (80 mW cm^?2). The ANH6 based photoinitiating systems are particularly efficient for the cationic and the radical photopolymerizations, and even better than that of the well‐known camphorquinone based systems. The photochemical mechanisms associated with the chemical structure/photopolymerization efficiency relationships are studied by steady state photolysis, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, laser flash photolysis, and electron spin resonance spin‐trapping techniques. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2860–2866     

Aminothiazonaphthalic anhydride derivatives as photoinitiators for violet/blue LED‐Induced cationic and radical photopolymerizations and 3D‐Printing resins

The cations and radicals produced in aminothiazonaphthalic anhydride derivatives (ATNAs) combined with an iodonium salt, N‐vinylcarbazole, amine, or chloro triazine initiate the ring‐opening cationic polymerization of epoxides and the free radical polymerization of acrylates under LEDs at 405 or 455 nm. The photoinitiating ability of these novel photoinitiating systems is higher than that of the well‐known camphorquinone‐based systems. An example of the high reactivity of the new proposed photoinitiator is also provided in resins for 3D‐printing using a LED projector@405 nm. The chemical mechanisms are investigated by steady‐state photolysis, cyclic voltammetry, fluorescence, laser flash photolysis, and electron spin resonance spin‐trapping techniques. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1189–1196     

Iodonium sulfonates as high‐performance coinitiators and additives for CQ‐based systems: Toward aromatic amine‐free photoinitiating systems

Iodonium sulfonates are proposed here as a new class of high‐performance coinitiators for camphorquinone (CQ)‐based systems for the polymerization of methacrylates under blue light irradiation. When combined with CQ, the new proposed coinitiators present excellent polymerization performances and are excellent candidates for the replacement of tertiary aromatic amines subjected to toxicological concerns in the well‐established CQ/amine photoinitiating system (PIS). Remarkably, good bleaching properties are obtained after polymerization. The use of the new PIS for dental adhesives is also investigated. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1664–1669     

Highly efficient and well‐controlled ambient temperature RAFT polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate under visible light radiation

A range of well‐defined poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) polymers and their corresponding block copolymers were synthesized via 2‐cyanoprop‐2‐yl(4‐fluoro) dithiobenzoate or CPFDB‐mediated ambient temperature reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization or RAFT polymerization under environmentally friendly visible light radiation (λ = 405–577 nm), using a (2,4,6‐trimethylbenzoyl) diphenylphosphine oxide photoinitiator. As comparison, CPFDB‐mediated ambient temperature RAFT polymerizations of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) under both full‐wave radiation (λ = 254–577 nm) and long‐wave radiation (λ = 365–577 nm) were also studied in this article. The results indicated that CPFDB moieties were significantly photolyzed under either full‐wave radiation or long‐wave radiation, thus undermining the controlled behavior of these RAFT processes. Whereas this photolysis was significantly suppressed under visible light radiation, thus CPFDB functionalities exerted well control over RAFT process, leading to a remarkably living behavior up to 90% GMA monomer conversions. This strategy facilitates the facile synthesis of well‐defined PGMA polymers. More importantly, under visible light radiation, a relatively high initial molar ratio of GMA to CPFDB and TPO led to shortening initialization period of RAFT process and accelerating overall polymerization rate. These effects are remarkably in favor of the facile synthesis of well‐defined PGMA polymers and PGMA‐based copolymers with high molecular weights. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5091–5102, 2007     

Visible‐light‐sensitive photoredox catalysis by iron complexes: Applications in cationic and radical polymerization reactions

The development of iron complexes for the photoredox catalysis is a huge challenge. Indeed, Iron complexes can be ideal candidates due to their potential visible light absorption and redox properties but also because they are less toxic, inexpensive and environmentally friendly compared to other catalysts. In the present paper, a series of novel iron complexes have been synthesized and utilized to initiate the free radical promoted cationic polymerization of epoxides or the free radical polymerization of acrylates through photoredox catalysis processes upon exposure to near UV (385 nm) or visible violet (405 nm) light emitting diodes (LEDs). When combined with an iodonium salt and N‐vinylcarbazole, the iron complex‐based photoinitiating systems are able to generate radicals, cations, and radical cations. The initiation efficiency is investigated through real‐time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and a satisfactory initiating ability is found. The mechanisms for the generation of the reactive initiating species through photoredox catalysis are studied by different methods (steady state photolysis, cyclic voltammetry and electron spin resonance spin trapping techniques) and discussed in detail. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 2247–2253     

Bis‐substituted thiophene‐containing oxime sulfonates photoacid generators for cationic polymerization under UV–visible LED irradiation

Three novel types of thiophene‐containing oxime sulfonates with a big π‐conjugated system were reported as non‐ionic photoacid generators. The irradiation of the newly synthesized photoacid generators using near UV–visible light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) (365–475 nm) results in the cleavage of two weak N O bonds in single molecules, which lead to the generation of different sulfonic acids in good quantum and chemical yields. The mechanism for the N O bond cleavage for acid generation was supported by the UV–visible spectra and real‐time ¹H NMR spectra. They are developed as high‐performance photoinitiators without any additives for the cationic polymerization of epoxide and vinyl ether upon exposure to near‐UV and visible LEDs (365–475 nm) at low concentration. In the field of photopolymerization, especially visible light polymerization, it has great potential for application. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 776–782     

Novel phenylamine-based oxime ester photoinitiators for LED-induced free radical,cationic, and hybrid polymerization

Four new photoinitiators (PI's) containing various phenylamine-based groups as chromophores and oxime ester (OXE) as initiating groups are proposed for the free radical polymerization, the cationic polymerization, and interpenetrated polymer networks upon visible light exposure using a light emitting diodes at 405 nm. These compounds showed outstanding polymerization photoinitiation ability, that is, high-polymerization rates and good final reactive function conversions were obtained. The chemical mechanisms by which these OXE's generate reactive species were investigated through different techniques including real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence (time-resolved or steady state) as well as cyclic voltammetry. Markedly, the proposed structures can be used as thermal initiators indicating all of them can be polymerized under suitable reaction temperature. In addition, due to their high efficiency, these optimized PI's were found to be useful @405 nm for both direct laser write and 3D printing applications.     

Naphthalimide‐phthalimide derivative based photoinitiating systems for polymerization reactions under blue lights

Naphthalimide‐phthalimide derivatives (NDPDs) have been synthesized and combined with an iodonium salt, N‐vinylcarbazole, amine or 2,4,6‐tris(trichloromethyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine to produce reactive species (i.e., radicals and cations). These generated reactive species are capable of initiating the cationic polymerization of epoxides and/or the radical polymerization of acrylates upon exposure to very soft polychromatic visible lights or blue lights. Compared with the well‐known camphorquinone based systems used as references, the novel NDPD based combinations employed here demonstrate clearly higher efficiencies for the cationic polymerization of epoxides under air as well as the radical polymerization of acrylates. Remarkably, one of the NDPDs (i.e., NDPD2) based systems is characterized by an outstanding reactivity. The structure/reactivity/efficiency relationships of the investigated NDPDs were studied by fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, laser flash photolysis, electron spin resonance spin trapping, and steady state photolysis techniques. The key parameters for their reactivity are provided. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 665–674     

Synthesis of pure blue emissive poly(2,7‐carbazole)s anchored by electron donor pendant

Three novel poly(2,7‐carbazole)s having hole injection and transporting pendent moieties of carbazole and triphenylamine at the N‐position were synthesized for achieving pure blue electroluminescence. The N‐pendants in the polymers correspond to N‐phenylcarbazol‐2‐yl ( P1 ), N,N‐diphenylamino‐N‐phenylcarabazol‐2‐yl ( P2) , and 4‐phenyl having a hydrocarbon chain with a triphenylamine terminal ( P3 ), respectively. Electronic, optical, and electroluminescence properties of these polymers were compared with those of a poly(2,7‐carbazole) directly connected with triphenylamine at the N‐position ( P0 ) having an aggregation‐induced emissive property. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra suggested that they could emit in the region of blue light in the film state. Especially, P2 that has the fixed and large diphenylaminocarbazolyl pendant showed a deep‐blue fluorescence with CIE(x, y) = (0.15, 0.07). The P0 , P2 , and P3 based light emitting diode devices showed maximum electroluminescence wavelengths in the range of 430–450 nm. The P2 device showed pure blue emission (CIE[x, y] = [0.18, 0.16]), high luminance (1130 cd/m²) and current density (628 mA/cm²) at 8 V, whereas low‐energy emissions around 500–600 nm were emerged at higher than 9 V. The P0 and P3 devices also showed a blue electroluminescence in the range of 8–11 V, but their luminance and efficiency were low. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2526–2534     

Blue LED light‐sensitive benzo pyrazolo (or imidazo) isoquinolinone derivatives in high‐performance photoinitiating systems for polymerization reactions

Isoquinolinone derivatives (IQ) have been synthesized and combined with different additives (an amine, 2,4,6‐tris(trichloromethyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine, an iodonium salt, or N‐vinylcarbazole) to produce reactive species (i.e. radicals and cations) being able to initiate the radical polymerization of acrylates, the cationic polymerization of epoxides, the thiol‐ene polymerization of trifunctional thiol/divinylether, and the synthesis of epoxide/acrylate interpenetrated polymer network IPN upon exposure to very soft polychromatic visible lights, blue laser diode or blue LED lights. Compared with the use of camphorquinone based systems, the novel combinations employed here ensures higher monomer conversions (～50–60% vs. ～15–35%) and better polymerization rates in radical polymerization. The chemical mechanisms are studied by steady‐state photolysis, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, laser flash photolysis, and electron spin resonance spin trapping techniques. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 567–575     

Synthesis and characterization of highly stable blue‐light‐emitting hyperbranched conjugated polymers

Polyfluorene homopolymer ( P1 ) and its carbazole derivatives ( P2 – P4 ) have been prepared with good yield by Suzuki coupling polymerization. P2 is an alternating copolymer based on fluorene and carbazole; P3 is a hyperbranched polymer with carbazole derivative as the core and polyfluorene as the long arms; P4 is a hyperbranched polymer with carbazole derivative as the core and the alternating fluorene and carbazole as the long arms. These polymers show highly thermal stability, and their structures and physical properties are studied using gel permeation chromatography, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, UV–vis absorption, photoluminescence, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The influence of the incorporation of carbazole and the hyperbranched structures on the thermal, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties has been investigated. Both carbazole addition and the hyperbranched structure increase the thermal and photoluminescent stability. The CV shows an increase of the HOMO energy levels for the derivatives, compared with polyfluorene homopolymer ( P1 ). The EL devices fabricated by these polymers exhibit pure blue‐light‐emitting with negligible low‐energy emission bands, indicating that the hyperbranched structure has a strong effect on the PLED characteristics. The results imply that incorporating carbazole into polyfluorene to form a hyperbranched structure is an efficient way to obtain highly stable blue‐light‐emitting conjugated polymers, and it is possible to adjust the property of light‐emitting polymers by the amount of carbazole derivative incorporated into the polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 790–802, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of luminescent copolymers containing iminodibenzyl and divinylbenzene chromophores

New conjugated copolymers containing alternating N‐hexyl‐3,8‐iminodibenzyl and divinylbenzene chromophores {poly(N‐hexyl‐3,8‐iminodibenzyl‐1,2‐ethenylene‐2,5‐dihexyloxy‐1,4‐phenylene‐1,2‐ethenylene) ( P1 ) and poly[N‐hexyl‐3,8‐iminodibenzyl‐2,5‐bis(hexyloxy)cyanoterephthalidene] ( P2 )} were synthesized according to Wittig and Knoevenagel polymerization. A copolymer containing alternating carbazole and divinylbenzene derivatives {poly[9‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐3,6‐carbazole‐1,2‐ethenylene‐2,5‐dihexyloxy‐1,4‐phenylene‐1,2‐ethenylene] ( P3 )} was also synthesized for comparison. The copolymers were soluble in common organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran and toluene. Absorption and photoluminescence measurements revealed that cyano substitution at the vinylene moiety in P2 brought about a significant bathochromic shift and led to an electroluminescence color change from green to orange. The band edge energies of the copolymers were estimated from cyclic voltammograms and optical band gaps. P1 and P3 showed similar highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels, indicating that the electron‐donating abilities of the iminodibenzyl and carbazole chromophores were comparable. However, compared with those of P1 and P3 , the HOMO and LUMO levels of P2 were greatly reduced because of conjugating and electron‐withdrawing CN groups. The threshold electric field of an Al/ P1 /ITO glass single‐layer light‐emitting diode was approximately 10 × 10⁵ V/cm, whereas those for P2 and P3 were 7.5 and 16 × 10⁵ V/cm, respectively. The electroluminescence emission maxima of P1–P3 were 498, 514, and 559 nm, respectively. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3847–3857, 2002     

Novel heterocyclic poly(pyridine‐imide)s with unsymmetric carbazole substituent and noncoplanar structure: High thermal,mechanical and optical transparency,electrochemical, and electrochromic properties

A diamine containing heterocyclic pyridine and unsymmetrical carbazole substituents, 4‐(9‐ethyl‐3‐carbazole)‐2,6‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)pyridine ( CBAPP ), was prepared for use in the synthesis of poly(pyridine‐imide)s PI‐1–8 by direct polycondensation with dianhydrides in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc). The poly(pyridine‐imide)s derived from the diamine are highly soluble in solvents such as N‐Methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) and DMAc at room temperature. Noncoplanar polyimide (PI‐1) showed excellent solubility, high transparency, and high‐performance mechanical properties. These polymers had relatively high glass transition temperatures and exhibited good thermal stability in both nitrogen (T_d10 > 470 °C) and air (T_d10 > 450 °C). The PI‐3～5 cannot form flexible and tough films due to the unsymmetrical carbazole moiety, rigid structure, and polar–polar interaction. However, through copolymerization technique these polymers (PI‐6～8) could be enhanced through the solubility, mechanical, and thermal properties. The optical properties included a strong orange fluorescence (540 nm) after protonation with acid. When the HCl concentration was increased, a new absorption band at approximately 350 nm appeared, and the intensity of the fluorescent peak at 380 nm observed in the neutral polymer solution decreased, along with the appearance of the new fluorescent peak at 540 nm. The poly(pyridine‐imide)s presented here showed only slight fluorescence quenching in the presence of methanol. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 405–412     

Dual roles for promoting monomers to polymers: A conjugated sulfonium salt photoacid generator as photoinitiator and photosensitizer in cationic photopolymerization

An efficient strategy for comprehensive utilization of the conjugated sulfonium salt photoacid generator (PAG), namely, 3‐{4‐[4‐(4‐N,N′‐diphenylamino)‐styryl]phenyl}phenyl dimethyl sulfonium hexafluoroantimonate, was developed through photoinitiated cationic photopolymerization (CP) of epoxides and vinyl ether upon exposure to near‐UV and visible light‐emitting diodes (LEDs; e.g., 365, 385, 405, and 425 nm). Photochemical mechanisms were investigated by UV–vis spectra, molecular orbital calculations, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, and electron spin resonance spin‐trapping analyses. Compared with commercial PAGs, the prepared conjugated sulfonium salt generated H⁺, which can be used as photoinitiator. Moreover, the fluorescent byproducts from photodecomposition can be used as photosensitizer of commercial iodonium salt in the photoinitiating systems of CP. These novel D‐π‐A type sulfonium‐based photoinitiating systems are efficient (epoxide conversion = 85–90% and vinyl conversion >90%; LEDs upon exposure to 365–425 nm) even in low‐concentration initiators (1%, w/w) and low curing light intensities (10–40 mW cm^?2). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 2722–2730     

High-Intensity 405 nm Light Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes

The antimicrobial properties of light is an area of increasing interest. This study investigates the sensitivity of the significant foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to selected wavelengths of visible light. Results demonstrate that exposure to wavelength region 400–450 nm, at sufficiently high dose levels (750 J cm^?2), induced complete inactivation of a 5 log₁₀ population. Exposure to wavelengths longer than 450 nm did not cause significant inactivation. Analysis of 10 nm bandwidths between 400 and 450 nm confirmed 405(±5) nm light to be most effective for the inactivation of L. monocytogenes, with a lesser bactericidal effect also evident at other wavelengths between 400 and 440 nm. Identification of the optimum bactericidal wavelength enabled the comparison of inactivation using 405(±5) nm filtered light and a 405 nm light‐emitting diode (LED) array (14 nm FWHM). Results demonstrate similar inactivation kinetics, indicating that the applied dose of 405 nm light is the important factor. Use of the 405 nm LED array for the inactivation of L. monocytogenes and other Listeria species resulted in similar kinetics, with up to 5 log₁₀ reductions with a dose of 185 J cm^?2. Comparative data for the 405 nm light inactivation of L. monocytogenes and other important foodborne pathogens, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis and Shigella sonnei, are also presented, with L. monocytogenes showing higher susceptibility to inactivation through 405 nm light exposure.