Cationic photopolymerization of polyfunctional 1-propenyl ether systems

The cationic photopolymerization of trimethylolpropane tripropenyl ether (T PE), initiated by a diaryl iodonium salt, has been investigated. The influe nce of the presence of different alcoholic additives on the rates of photop olymerization and on the properties of the networks obtained has been studi ed. New 1-propenyl ethers (trimethylolpropane dipropenyl ether (DPE) and it s acetyl ester) were synthesized and employed as modifying agents in TPE ph otopolymerization. The thermal and dynamic-mechanical properties of the fil ms obtained have been investigated and are correlated with the structure of the networks and to the mechanism of the curing reaction, a microheterogen eous structure of the network was shown by dynamic-mechanical thermal analy sis. (C) 2001 Society of Chemical Industry.