ZnO Nanoparticle Induced Photo‐Kolbe Reaction, Fragment Stabilization and Effect on Photopolymerization Monitored by Raman–UV‐Vis Measurements

Nano ZnO is able to photo‐initiate free‐radical polymerization of bulk acrylic esters. This kind of reaction is used in science and in industrial photocuring processes. Particle based initiators have the potential to solve the problem of migration. At the moment performance is not sufficient to utilize nanoparticle initiators for industrial applications. One way to improve the efficiency of the nanoparticles is to attach a modifier and to investigate the reactivity of the fragmentation products. Synthesis and reactivity improvement will be demonstrated using both computations and curing measurements made with a novel Raman–UV‐vis system. The combined system allows for real‐time in situ detection of the photopolymerization both in the transversal (deep‐) and in the lateral direction (area‐curing).