Charge Transfer Complexes (CTCs) with Pyridinium Salts: Toward Efficient Dual Photochemical/Thermal Initiators and 3D Printing Applications

In both organic and polymer synthesis, photochemistry of charge transfer complexes (CTCs) is considered as a powerful approach to expand visible-light-driven radical chemistry reaction. One reports herein on the development of a class of useful CTCs using pyridinium salts as efficient electron acceptors (combined with N, N, 3,5-tetramethylaniline, TMA) to achieve a multiwavelength (375–560 nm) metal-free LED photopolymerization process under mild conditions (open to air, without monomer purification and inhibitor removal). The UV–vis absorption spectra and molecular modeling simultaneously verify its potential blue-green absorbing wavelength range. Also, their good thermal initiation behavior at relatively low temperatures makes it easier to achieve thick samples and/or polymerization in the shadow region in practice. More importantly, with excellent photoinitiating capability, the formulation is successfully applied to direct laser write (DLW) and high-resolution 3D printing, yielding a series of objects with well-defined structures, such as letters, ring, solid squares, and chess pieces. These new pyridinium salt acceptors further extend the applicability to visible photopolymerizable resins and additive-containing formulations for efficient surface and deep curing.