Anthracene-Containing Di- and Tricyanoethylenes as Photoinitiators of Free Radical Photopolymerization

Using the example of anthracene-containing di- and tricyanoethylenes, the effect of an additional cyano group in A-π-D dyes on the optical, electrochemical, and radical polymerization-initiating properties has been demonstrated. It has been shown that the transition from the di- to the tricyanoethylene derivative leads to a shift in the reduction potential by 0.47 V to the anodic region, a bathochromic shift of the long-wave absorption band from λmax = 427 nm to λmax = 525 nm in acetonitrile, and a more than fivefold increase in the initiation efficiency (maximum rate) of polymerization of dimethacrylate OCM-2 under irradiation with LED 405 nm light.