Loch, Alex S., Mikhail, Ibram, Bianco, Simona et al. (7 more authors) (2025) Supramolecular Benzophenone-Based Photoinitiator for Spatially-Resolved Polymerization. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. ISSN 1944-8252
Abstract
Benzophenone-based materials remain widely used as photoinitiators for ultraviolet light-induced free radical polymerizations. Traditionally, polymerization is spatially controlled using top-down techniques such as photomasks, which produce well-defined polymeric films. In contrast, we present an alternative method for controlling polymerization by employing supramolecular materials to localize the photoinitiator. This approach uses benzophenone-functionalized dipeptides that are specifically tuned to enable supramolecular gel noodle formation, which act as structural templates. We show that polymerization of acrylate monomers around the gel noodles can increase the Young’s modulus by up to 2 orders of magnitude and produce mechanically robust structures that can be handled. The self-assembly of the supramolecular photoinitiators is also explored using viscosity and SAXS measurements, providing an understanding of why only 4BPAcFF successfully forms gel noodles. Our method offers a simple yet effective technique for localizing polymerization, enabling fine-tuning of mechanical properties and the fabrication of intricate designs such as hollow-core structures.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. |
Keywords: | benzophenone,materials chemistry,micelle,photoinitiator,photopolymerization,soft materials,supramolecular gel noodles |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Chemistry (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Physics (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 19 May 2025 12:40 |
Last Modified: | 19 May 2025 12:40 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c03506 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acsami.5c03506 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:226847 |
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Description: loch-et-al-2025-supramolecular-benzophenone-based-photoinitiator-for-spatially-resolved-polymerization
Licence: CC-BY 2.5