LAUSR

Abstract Within this work, a novel visible light photoinitiation system for cationic polymerization of oxiranes such as cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and vinyl monomers such as isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) and N -vinylcarbazole (NVC) using tetrakis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)silane (TTBS) is described. Polymerizations were successfully initiated at room temperature upon irradiation in the visible region (λ inc > 400) in bulk or methylene chloride solutions of these monomers and TTBS, in the presence of onium salts such as diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate (Ph 2 I + PF 6 − ) and triphenylsulfonium hexafluorophosphate (Ph 3 S + PF − ). Partial decomposition of TTBS by short irradiation time and keeping the polymerization solution in the dark yielded poly(cyclohexene oxide) (PCHO) bearing acyl silane terminal groups. Further use of the resultant polymer as photoinitiator in free radical polymerization of MMA and free radical promoted cationic polymerizations of CHO yielded PCHO- b -PMMA and chain extended PCHO, respectively.