Abstract

The use of transition-metal complexes as photoinitiators of free radical vinyl polymerization was studied. The polymerization of acrylamide initiated by Ru in the presence of triethylamine over a wide range of ruthenium complex absorbances was carried out in a cylindrical reactor of variable pathlengths. The absorbance was changed from 0.075 to 2.43 by changing the complex concentration and/or the length of the path through the sample. The polymerization rate due to the absorbance was determined from the weight of the formed polymer.