Abstract
We have designed and synthesized a dimethacrylate containing a chalcone moiety. A novel hybrid UV curing system using photo-radical polymerization of methacrylates and photodimerization of chalcone was devised using the monomer. The mixture of the monomer, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate as a diluent, and photoinitiators placed between two CaF2 plates was irradiated at UV light (wavelength: 254, 365, 405 nm and 370 <λ< 400 nm) to investigate the effect of initiators or irradiation wavelength on the conversion of the methacrylate unit and the chalcone unit was investigated using UV and FT －IR spectroscopy. We have found that the conversion of the methacryl unit and the chalcone unit was controllable by the irradiation wavelength and initiators added. The effect of atmosphere in the system was slightly observed. The mixture of the monomer and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate was photopolymerized without an initiator. The result suggests the possibility of a novel photoinitiating system using a chalcone moiety.
