New thiols for photoinitiator free thiol-acrylate polymerization

International audienceNew thiols for effi cient thiol-ene polymerization reactions are presented. They do not exhibit any unpleasant odor, are characterized by quite good light-absorption properties at λ > 300 nm, and generate thiyl radicals upon UV-light exposure. Due to these interesting properties and contrary to many previously reported methodologies, the present thiol-acrylate polymerizations can be effi ciently carried out without the presence of any additional photoinitiator. The chemical mechanisms are investigated by steady-state photolysis and electron spion resonance (ESR) experiments. Important parameters can also be extracted from molecular orbital calculation