Photopolymerization of vinyl monomers in the presence of chlorosilane compounds

The photopolymerization of vinyl monomers (methyl methacrylate and styrene) was investigated in the presence of chlorosilane compounds. It was found that these additives acted as photosensitizers. In the case of the photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate, the rate of polymerization was found to be proportional to the concentration of methyl methacrylate and to the square root of the chlorosilane concentration. The chain‐transfer constants of these photosensitizers, SiCl4, CH3SiCl3, (CH3)2SiCl2, (CH3)3‐SiCl, and (CH3)4Si, with ultraviolet irradiation were 25.6 × 10−3, 18.4 × 10−3, 17.5 × 10−3, 14.4 × 10−3 and 0.5 × 10−3, respectively, for methyl methacrylate.