Low-temperature photoinitiation solution polymerization behavior of N-vinylcarbazole in tetrahydrofuran

N-Vinylcarbazole (VCZ) was solution-polymerized in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at -20, 0, and 20°C using the photoinitiation method; the effects of the amount of solvent, polymerization temperature, and photoinitiator concentration were investigated. On the whole, the experimental results corresponded to predicted ones. Low polymerization temperature using photoinitiation proved to be successful in obtaining poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVCZ) of a high molecular weight with a smaller temperature rise during polymerization; nevertheless of free radical polymerization by 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (ADMVN). The photo-solution polymerization rate of VCZ in THF was proportional to the 0.47 power of ADMVN concentration. The molecular weight was higher and the molecular weight distribution was narrower with PVCZ polymerized at lower temperatures. For PVCZ prepared in THF at -20°C using a photoinitiator concentration of 0.00005 mol/mol of VCZ, a weight-average molecular weight of 510,000 was obtained, with a polydispersity index of 1.73, and a degree of lightness converged to about 99%.