Phenothiazine-carbazole-based bis oxime esters (PCBOEs) for visible light polymerization.

[Display omitted] • Oxime esters have been examined as photoinitiators of polymerization. • Polymerization processes in the visible range have been initiated. • Carbazole and phenothiazine exhibit interesting photophysical properties. • Polymerization of a difunctional monomer was possible under low light intensity. In this study, a series of seven PCBOEs was innovatively designed and successfully synthesized for the first time by bridging a phenothiazine and a carbazole unit by mean of an acetylene spacer and bearing oxime ester groups as end groups on both sides. Structures of the different difunctional oxime esters were confirmed through NMR and HRMS. All PCBOEs exhibited excellent light absorption properties in the visible range. Upon excitation with a 405 nm LED for 60 s, a complete photolysis of the oxime esters could be achieved. Parameters such as the singlet state energy and the triplet state energy demonstrated the facile generation of the corresponding radicals upon light absorption by PCBOEs. Photopolymerization kinetics in TMPTA confirmed the homolytic cleavage of oxime esters and the generation of radicals. CO 2 absorption peaks were detected when the PCBOEs/TMPTA systems were excited with a 405 nm LED. Based on the positive results, the photochemical mechanisms of polymerization with PCBOEs was proposed. PCBOE3 was identified as the best candidate of the series and this bifunctional oxime ester was successfully used for the 3D-printing of the "IS2M" logo via DLW. Experimental results from DSC also confirmed that PCBOEs not only serve as photoinitiators but also possess high reactivity as thermal initiators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]