OVERVIEW OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY APPLIED TO POLYMERIZATION: USE OF METAL COMPLEXES IN THE PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION OF MONOMERS

Abstract

This article provides a brief approach to photochemistry and its application in polymerization, as well as new and recent perspectives on its use for photopolymerization of monomers with commercial and biomedical interest. Recent studies that use metal complexes as photocatalysts for application in the photoinitiated polymerization of acrylate or epoxide monomers, for example, have proved to be a promising way to develop new routes to obtain polymeric materials at a low cost and using mild reaction conditions, in addition to environmentally favorable conditions. In this article, the authors highlight complexes based on more abundant metals, such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), low-cost and low-toxicity metals whose complexes present, according to data in the literature, promising activities for application in photopolymerization.