A multicolor photoinitiator for cationic polymerization and interpenetrated polymer network synthesis: 2,7-di-tert-butyldimethyldihydropyrene.

For polymer synthesis upon visible light, actual photoinitiator operates in a restricted part of the spectrum. As a consequence, several photoinitiators are necessary to harvest all of the emitted visible photons. Herein, 2,7-di-tert-butyldimethyldihydropyrene is used for the first time as a multicolor photoinitiator for the cationic polymerization of epoxides. Upon addition of diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate and optionally N-vinylcarbazole, the originality of this approach is to allow efficient monomer conversions under various excitation light sources in the 360-650 nm wavelength range: halogen lamps, and light-emitting and laser diodes. The synthesis of an interpenetrated polymer network from an epoxide/acrylate blend using a red light at 635 nm is also feasible. The formed polymer material exhibits a photochromic character.