Photopolymerization of Poly(Hydroxyethyl Acrylate) (PHEA): Experimental Parameters-Viscoelastic Properties Relationship

The activity of the photoinitiator system, based on triethanolamine (TEOA) and methylene blue (MB), on the photopolymerization of hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) monomer under very soft irradiation conditions, was evaluated. A remarkable difference in the polymerization kinetics of a set of PHEA experiments was underlined according to TEOA/MB concentrations, as well as the solutions pH. Indeed, the complex viscosity (η*), storage modulus (G'), and loss modulus (G") of the resulting polymers were potentially dependent on these experimental parameters despite comparable values of monomer conversion.