Vibrational spectroscopic investigation of light-induced polymerization process of epoxy resin, polytetrahydrofuran and spirobislactone

The light-induced polymerization process of bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE), 5,5′-dicarboxylic-7,7′-dioxo-2,2′-spirodi(benzotetrahydrofuran) (DCSBL) and polytetrahydrofuran (pTHF-250) was studied. 4-[(2-Hydroxytetradecyl)oxy]phenyl-phenyliodoniumhexafluoroantimonate, camphorquinone and ethyl 4-dimethylaminobenzoate were used as a photoinitiator system. The polymerization process was induced by light and monitored using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A novel combination-initiation polymerization process was proposed: first, cationic copolymerization of BFDGE and pTHF-250 was initiated by the photoinitiator system and heat was released by this polymerization; then, copolymerization of BFDGE and DCSBL was induced by that heat while pTHF-250 served as an anionic initiator. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry