Organocatalytic Photocuring Without Conventional Photoinitiators: Catalyst Identity, Turnover, Spectral Activation and Limits

Organic photocatalysts can mediate radical, cationic, ring-opening and step-growth polymerisations through photoinduced electron transfer, proton transfer, energy transfer or isomerisation. Calling such systems initiator-free can be misleading if a catalyst or co-reagent still provides the reactive species. This review therefore focuses on catalyst identity, turnover, excitation spectrum, quenching pathways and residual catalyst rather than terminology. The evidence base is strongest in polymer synthesis and is emerging in photocurable materials.

ER-307 · Version 0.5.