Carbazole-fused coumarin bis oxime esters (CCOBOEs) as efficient photoinitiators of polymerization for 3D printing with 405 nm LED

In this research, the innovative design and successful synthesis of two visible light photoinitiators, namely CCOBOE0 and CCOBOE1, have been confirmed through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS). Both compounds exhibit strong absorption properties at 385, 405 and 450 nm, and FT-IR analyses have substantiated the ability of CCOBOE1 to initiate the polymerization of a trifunctional acrylate monomer (TMPTA) under these three light sources. The optimal conditions for maximizing the photoinitiation potential of CCOBOE1 were determined to be at a concentration of 2 x 10(-5) mol.g(-1) and under 405 nm LED irradiation. Photolysis experiments, theoretical calculations, detection of CO2 absorption peaks, and ESR experiments have all confirmed the generation of methyl radicals by CCOBOE1. Utilizing the identified optimal conditions, a "XYZ" pattern with a thickness of 963 mu m and a 3D-object were successfully obtained via direct laser write (DLW) and digital light processing (DLP) 3D-printing upon irradiation at 405 nm. Additionally, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses demonstrated the promising performance of CCOBOE1 in initiating the thermal polymerization of acrylate monomers. In summary, the difunctional CCOBOE1 showed outstanding performance in both photo-initiation and thermal initiation of acrylate monomers. It provides a novel direction for the development of novel OXEs with dual activation modes.