Characterizing Reactivity and Network Structure in Photo-initiated Cationic Copolymerizations of Cyclic Ethers

Sara Kaalberg, University of Iowa

Abstract:Recent research in cationic photopolymerization demonstrates that combining epoxides and oxetanes results in improved kinetic outcomes; however, the nature of this copolymerization has not been fully examined. Here, a spectroscopic method is presented to determine the reactivity ratios for these cationic photopolymerizations. Reactivity ratios are unique for a comonomer pairing and indicate preference for propagation. The calculated reactivity ratios have confirmed copolymerization in these systems and provided classification for the resulting network structure.