What is the solution for slow curing of cationic photoinitiators?
Cationic light-curing systems have the advantages of low volume shrinkage, no oxygen-blocking, long life of the active center, and the ability to delay curing and strong adhesion to substrates. Cationic photoinitiator as an important member of the cationic light curing system, but its absorption spectrum is mostly below 300nm, and the commonly used UV light source emission band does not match. This causes the problem of low initiation rate and initiation efficiency. Recently, we have received a lot of feedback from customers about the slow efficiency of cationic light curing systems.
Most cationic photoinitiators absorb at short-wave UV, up to about 300nm, so generally speaking, they are not effective in media containing pigments. However, some of the available light energy can be better applied through sensitization of materials that can absorb long-wave UV. Sensitization of free radical systems is mainly achieved by energy transfer, but cationic photoinitiators have very high single and triplet state energies, so energy transfer is not possible. Sensitization can only occur through electron transfer, as shown in the figure, which is based on the relative redox potential between the sensitizer and the cation. Unlike the sensitizer, which has a catalytic role in the radical system, the sensitizer in the cationic system is involved in the reaction and forms arylates.
UV Photoinitiator Same series products